Member-only story
The Customer-First Philosophy Behind BMW’s Software Defined Vehicles
“Provide assistance to the extent the customer desires, without overstepping into paternalism.”
This singular statement encapsulates the pioneering vision that guides BMW’s Dr. Christoph Grote in leading the automaker’s transition to software-defined vehicles (SDVs). As Senior Vice President of Digital Car at BMW Group, Dr. Grote steers technological innovation to serve human needs first.
With over 20 years refining BMW’s digital interfaces, Grote sees SDVs not as a chance to limit drivers, but to liberate them. “Groundbreaking work at the interface between man and machine has always fascinated me,” he explains. “The triumphant inroads made by head-up displays are definitely one aspect of this.” Under Grote’s oversight, BMW introduced head-up display technology in 2003, an innovation that’s now fundamental for modern vehicles.
In a recent interview with Stefano Marzani, AWS Worldwide Technical Lead for SDV, Dr. Grote, Senior VP for Electronics and Software at BMW discussed some of these driving factors behind BMW’s approach to Software Defined Vehicles.
