A high-ranking executive at BMW has revealed that the German brand is considering killing off the traditional car key.
Ian Robertson, who is the member of the board responsible for sales at the BMW Group, told Reuters that the traditional car key was no longer useful for many customers.
“Honestly, how many people really need it?” Robertson asked, adding that the majority of BMW’s new vehicles didn’t even require a key to be inserted into the ignition to start them.
“They never take it out of their pocket, so why do I need to carry it around?” he said.
An increasing number of vehicles in the BMW line-up can be unlocked via the owner’s smartphone using a BMW app, leading the Munich-based brand to consider dropping the old-fashioned, physical key altogether.
“We are looking at whether it is feasible, and whether we can do it. Whether we do it right now or at some point in the future, remains to be seen,” Robertson said.
