There are few places left where we can escape ads, and cars are one of them. However, that might not last for long, as BMW is working on a project called “Virtual marketplace of the future”. Together with software manufacturer SAP, BMW wants to combine its location-based information services with the needs and preferences of the individual user.
“In our vision for a virtual marketplace of the future, the vehicle will provide customers with context-adaptive, preference-based and timely offers and information relevant to their route,” says Dr Jörg Preißinger, Project Manager at BMW Group Research and Technology. In other words, future BMW cars will display ads adapted to the user and the route.
In order to achieve this goal, SAP developed a cloud-based virtual marketplace solution, while BMW developed a prototype in-car software system for getting information and services from this marketplace to the customer.
An application implemented in a BMW 7-Series research vehicle allows drivers to set their own personal preferences for customized filtering of services and offers. “At the same time, real-time vehicle data is used to predict drivers’ needs during the course of the journey,” reads BMW’s statement. Sounds rather Orwellian, doesn’t it?
For example, when the vehicle is approaching the destination a request for parking information is sent to the backend system, which then sends an anonymous query for real-time parking information, including information about availability and fees, to the SAP platform. The system then displays these recommendations.
BMW admits that in the future its navigation systems could provide “recommendations about special coffee deals at filling stations, the best parking deals or even real-time offers at a sports shop along the route.” However, the carmaker says the system will do that “only if the driver wants.”
By Dan Mihalascu
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