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According to foreign media reports, due to the chip shortage problem, BMW has cancelled the touch screen function of some of its models. It is understood that the vehicles involved include 3 Series, 4 Series Coupe/Convertible/Gran Coupe (except i4), Z4 and X5, X6 and X7 SUV models. Users can only operate the center screen through voice recognition or iDrive controller. For owners who cancel touch screen features on some models due to chip shortages,$500 worth of points can be spent directly on BMW's mobile app.

BMW responded: "This decision is the result of industry-wide supply chain issues that are affecting car manufacturing worldwide and resulting in limited availability of some features or options." Of course, for users, it is obviously more convenient to operate by touch, but if you are in a hurry to pick up the car, you can only choose the version where the central control screen does not support touch function.

It is not difficult to see that since 2020, the shortage of chips has seriously affected the entire automotive industry, and traditional luxury brands have also been implicated.

As can be seen from the top 10 sales list of traditional luxury brands in September 2021, most brands are in a declining state. BMW brand sales fell 24.3% due to chip shortages. BMW X3 sold 9325 units in September, down 34% year-on-year, BMW 5 Series sold 14264 units in September, down 21.3% year-on-year, and BMW 3 Series sold 9113 units in September, down 44.1% year-on-year. Mercedes-Benz and Audi were more seriously affected by the lack of cores, with sales falling 38.3% and 51.8% respectively in September, of which Audi A6L fell 78.0% year-on-year, the largest decline among BBA brands.

Earlier, BMW finance director Nicholas Peter had said about the lack of cores that BMW's output in the second half of the year was expected to remain affected by chip shortages, with 70,000 to 90,000 fewer cars expected to be produced and sold in 2021. It said it coped better with chip shortages in the first half than other car companies. However, as the chip supply shortage timeline lengthens, the problem will become more and more serious. Milan Nedeljkovic, BMW's head of production, has also said that due to the shortage of chips, BMW's production capacity at several factories around the world is limited, and some factories have been shut down. As of January to June 2021, BMW has reduced production by 30,000 vehicles due to lack of cores.

However, Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the association, also pointed out that luxury car sales data continue to maintain stable structural characteristics, which also represents that consumption upgrading high-end purchase demand is still strong. In other words, the "lack of core" is only temporary, the demand for luxury cars is still very strong, once the supply comes up, will immediately be reflected in sales.

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