BMW launches BMW ConnectedDrive in Kuwait with first in-car email and SOS service

The company also revealed today a sneak preview of its second service to be launched next year, BMW Online which will allow customers, for the first time, to access emails and their address book while they are in their car. Messages can be displayed either on the front cockpit navigation screen or rear seats' screen.

BMW Assist, which gives access to a dedicated 24/7 Response Centre, is available as a stand-alone service on all BMW vehicles and as a bundle with BMW Online BMW 1, 3, 5, 6, & 7 Series. Both services are free, with free connection charges, for the first three years. Vehicles are fitted with a built-in telephone SIM card, which is active as soon as the ignition is on.

The BMW Online E-mail service is accessed via the iDrive controller, fitted to all new 5, 6 and 7 Series cars as standard, and 1 & 3 Series with the relevant car options. Customers log on to their personal, unique password-protected BMW Online email account and address book. E-mails from other business or private E-mail accounts, such as Yahoo or Hotmail, can also be read an answered on BMW Online.

"Another first for BMW, BMW ConnectedDrive is not just some kind of new system, but rather an overriding, all-round and truly convincing concept,"

said Guenther Seemann, Managing Director, BMW Group Middle East. "With BMW ConnectedDrive, BMW is making a significant, far-reaching contribution to the improvement of mobility.

"The concept offers everything required to interconnect the needs of the environment, the optimisation of transport as a whole, the maximisation of safety on the road and that sheer driving pleasure so typical of BMW."

Using their BMW Online login name and password users of the service will also be able to access their BMW Online email account from their business or home computer.

BMW Assist is primarily a safety feature, which gives drivers, for the first time in Kuwait, a direct voice link to the Response Centre when something unforeseen happens.

Pressing the SOS button, located above the central iDrive controller, or selecting Emergency Service via the on-board monitor, creates a direct voice-link with the Response Centre, enabling the situation to be explained. If the worst happens, the 'Emergency Call' facility is automatically activated in a crash via the airbag sensor, ensuring that action can be taken quickly - even if the driver is unable to make a voice connection.

In the event of an 'Emergency Call' being made the Response Centre will immediately contact the Police, via a dedicated telephone line and emergency vehicles will be despatched to the scene of the incident. The Emergency SOS Call facility can also be used to notify the police of serious accidents in which the driver is not involved. The vehicle location is transmitted via SMS to the Response Centre, regardless whether the Emergency Call was triggered manually or automatically.

"BMW Assist helps in crucial situations," said Mohammed Alghanim, General Manager, Ali Alghanim & Sons. "The 'Emergency Call' button, with 'Automatic Vehicle Location' saves time when you need help quickly. It's great if things never get that far, but it's far better if you have BMW Assist's 'Emergency Call' at your disposal, not just for your own safety but also for the security of your passengers.

"The service can also be activated by a BMW driver who witnesses a major accident. He can stop at the accident scene, press the SOS button and inform the Response Centre, via the established SMS and voice link, about the accident and its precise location."

BMW Assist can also be used to inform the Ali Alghanim and Sons Automotive Co. BMW Service Centre of a breakdown by selecting the Breakdown Service button on the onboard monitor. Arrangements can then be made to recover the vehicle.

Although the BMW ConnectedDrive service will initially be limited to BMW Assist and at a later stage to BMW Online which will allow you to receive and send emails. BMW Group says the service can easily be expanded to include third-party supplied information such as hotel and restaurant guides and news.

"We wish to bring the driver out of his isolation, giving him access to all the information he finds important or desirable," said Mohammed Alghanim. "BMW ConnectedDrive, bringing all the necessary systems and features together, is the key to reaching this goal. You might, therefore, say that BMW ConnectedDrive is a kind of virtual co-driver giving the driver the right information, rightly processed at the right time."