BMW and Audi remove access to their software for Russian dealers
German car manufacturers BMW and Audi have recently cut off their Russian dealers from accessing their software, according to a report by the Russian newspaper Izvestia.
This means that owners of these brands will no longer have access to their vehicle's service history and software updates. Journalists who visited dealer centers were informed that owners of these cars will be unable to make duplicate keys, and it remains unclear whether dealers will be able to perform car diagnostics.
Service centers are also warning customers to anticipate restrictions on the functionality of the official BMW ConnectedDrive application. This application was previously used for remote ignition, car preheating, fuel level tracking, and information on updates and recalls.
Izvestia mentions that Audi owners have also encountered similar problems. An anonymous manager from one of the official dealer centers of this brand revealed that access to the software for owners had been restricted two months prior.
Last year, Mercedes withdrew from the Russian market. The German company became the third major producer of passenger cars to sell its assets in Russia.
Additionally, car manufacturer Toyota halted production at its factory in St. Petersburg last year due to the inability to resume normal operations.