BMW Telematics Offensive: Networking of individual mobility through partnership with Vodafone Passo/Strategic Cooperation re-oriented through long-term agreemen

Munich, Germany (PROTEXT/ots) - The BMW Group has renewed itsstrategic partnership with Vodafone Passo in the field oftelematics services. With its updated BMW ASSIST, BMW offerscustomers a unique service which, as a special technologicalinnovation, allows the desired navigation data to be transmittedright into a moving car from external sources. The contract withVodafone, formerly Mannesmann, on the development of BMW ASSISTwas signed as early as July 1999. The BMW Group and VodafonePasso have now adapted the contract to the current servicerequirements and strategic orientation of BMW which, with the newBMW 7 Series, is aimed at being the worlds first manufacturer tooffer an Internet portal in an automobile. Partnership of Technology Leaders The renewed partnership of two global players in theautomotive industry and New Economy offers the customer majoradvantages in the automotive service sector. The technologicalknow-how and global network makes Vodafone Passo the idealpartner to keep the BMW Group in the top position in the area ofnavigation, information and online services and to upgrade theseservices over the long term. Today, Vodafone with its mobiletelephony networks in 26 countries is the largest cellularoperator worldwide and serves 78.7 million customers around theglobe. Vodafones global network allows BMW, with the assistanceof the navigation system and car phone, to provide customers inmany countries with its mobile multi-band services. Just as the cooperation with Vodafone Passo today forms thebasis for the mobile telematics service BMW ASSIST, Vodafone isthe BMW Groups strategic partner as a portal operator when itcomes to the replacement of the current BMW 7 Series as the firstInternet-capable production car: "As we started in the 1990s tonetwork individual computers, so it is now a logical step tonetwork automobiles to form a comprehensive mobile informationnetwork" says Dr. Burkhard Göschel, member of the Board ofManagement for development and purchasing of the BMW Group. From BMW ASSIST to the Mobile Internet Portal In collaboration with Vodafone Passo, the BMW Group hasupdated the BMW ASSIST telematics service and at the same timeupgraded the product range. Automatic emergency calls in seriousaccidents, roadside assistance, real-time traffic information aswell as mobility-related information services with more than260,000 points of interest are now bundled in a clear and definedmanner. In Germany BMW with its BMW ASSIST even today offers itscustomers data backloading, a process where desired navigationdata, such as from petrol stations, hotels or venues, can betransmitted from an external BMW data centre into the navigationsystem of a moving car. With BMW ASSIST, BMW is also offered achance for entirely new and regular customer contacts, whichopens up new avenues in customer relations management. With BMW ASSIST, the networking of individual mobility hasalready got under way, but opens up completely new dimensionswith the worlds first Internet-capable production car, the newBMW 7 Series. Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, Senior Vice President GroupMarketing, is convinced that telematics and online services willin future take on the role of a virtual assistant that willrelieve driving effort in any situation and will increasinglyallow the driver to focus on what it is all about - the pleasureof motoring. Be it the BMW ASSIST telematics service or the automotiveInternet portal - the keyword "Connected Drive" - combines allBMW innovations into a comprehensive driver assist concept."Connected Drive" in this context stands for intelligentcommunication in the driver, vehicle and environment triangle.The systems based on this principle provide the driver withinformation in situations where he is unable to perceive suchinformation or not reliably enough. Thus, the electronicassistants relieve driving effort and thereby contribute tosafer, more efficient and more comfortable motoring. otsOriginal Text Service: BMW Group Internet:http://recherche.newsaktuell.de For questions please contact:Corporate Communications Jochen Mueller, Produkt und Technik,Technologie und Innovation Telephone: (+49 89) 382-68778, Fax:(+49 89) 382-27563 Thomas Gubitz, Produkt und Technik Telephone:(+49 89) 382-23504, Fax: (+49 89) 382-25965 Media Website:www.press.bmwgroup.com e-mail: presse@bmw.de

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