[The Automotive Enthusiast]

BMW has teamed up with software manufacturer SAP to research and develop a location-based in-car advertising service.
The project, which began in spring 2012, essentially seeks to deliver ads through the iDrive infotainment screen based on personal preferences as well as vehicle location and destination. For example, a driver on a roadtrip might be presented with an ad for a nearby coffee shop, or a notification regarding a sale at a shop further down the road.

"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," said Dr Jörg Preißinger, Project Manager at BMW Group Research and Technology, in a press release.
While tests are currently underway in a specially-equipped 7-Series research vehicle that integrates the advertising scheme into its ConnectedDrive services and apps suite, BMW says that the system is still in very early stages of development, and there isn't currently a timetable for implementing it in production models.
Critically, if and when the system comes to market, customers will be able to choose what types of ads they want to see - and turn them off entirely, if desired.
"If they don't want to have these features in the car, they don't have to," Scott Croaker, Product Communications Manager at BMW Group Australia, told Motoring.

Read more: http://www.leftlanenews.com/bmw-rese...#ixzz2rWGu238W