BMW Malaysia introduces Apple CarPlay subscription service

KUALA LUMPUR: BMW Malaysia has introduced a new subscription service concerning Apple CarPlay. Under this service, the company is offering the first six months of Apple CarPlay usage free starting from the time of car’s assembly. Post the free usage period, it’s up to the owner to decide whether or not he wants to continue with the subscription.

On the BMW Malaysia website, this subscription is tagged as Apple CarPlay Preparation. This subscription service is offered in four different options to choose from -

• Trail option for RM 5, it is renewable for three months and is perfect for those who want to try the feature before committing to it fully
• Then there’s the 12-month plan available for RM 513
• Next up is a 36-month (3-year) plan that’ll set you back by RM 799
• Those up for unlimited access can get one RM 1,899

Interested, well then you can buy it at BMW ConnectedDrive Customer Portal in the Connected Drive Store. BMW charging for a service that’s free in many cars may seem a bit odd, however, we were told that it is a global directive by Apple and the German automaker has nothing to do with it. Also, the said subscription service is not limited to Malaysia alone, it is also available in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Customers in the UK pay one pound sterling (RM 5) for a month trial, 85 pound sterling for 12 months, 255 pound sterling for 36 months, and 295 pounds sterling (RM 1,516) for the unlimited-term plan. In the US, however, one-year Apple CarPlay service costs US$80 ( RM 329), and a 240-month membership costs US$300 (RM 1,235).

In Australia, a one month trial costs AU$1 (RM 2.87), 12 months membership costs AU$179 (RM 514), 36 months for AU$479 (RM 1,375), while an unlimited-term plan is AU$639 (RM 1,835).

In the current BMW Malaysia lineup, all-new locally-assembled and fully-imported BMW models (except BMW X1) along with Mini cars come with built-in Apple CarPlay. The said subscription service is for older models that can support the Apple CarPlay feature.