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BMW today announced that users of BMW Online in the US can now access Yelp in their vehicles. With Yelp on-board, customers can search for everything from the best local restaurants and boutiques to parking garages and banks. They are able to see ratings for those businesses while hearing reviews read out to them via the vehicle’s text-to-speech feature. With the recent update to BMW Online’s layout, BMW can seamlessly add new features (known as “applications”) as they become available. Yelp is the first such application and there will be more to follow.

Customers who subscribe to the optional BMW Assist Convenience Plan and have a navigation-equipped vehicle capable of receiving the BMW Online service will be able to add the service today, without having to make any changes to their vehicle. Yelp reviews can be accessed through the new Applications screen that is now part of BMW Online with the update which took place earlier this month.

BMW Online is just one of the many ConnectedDrive services available to BMW customers. BMW ConnectedDrive combines various elements from online applications, driver assistance, call center services and solutions for the integration of mobile devices. As a result, BMW customers are provided with an exceptional form of mobility, with more safety, more convenience, and more infotainment.

The BMW Online Yelp application has several exciting features
Category Search – Search by category for nearby restaurants, cafes, shopping, nightlife, and more.

Results Overview – Results are sorted by distance and star ratings, and also list category information and number of reviews.

Details – Selecting a particular place gives more details about it. Customers can see the rating, address, distance, phone number, and information about reviews. Additionally, they can e-mail details of the business to themselves or any other e-mail address.

Reviews – The 3 latest reviews are available for the business. The customer can select one of those reviews and have it read back automatically.

BMW Online is available exclusively to Convenience Plan subscribers on BMW Assist with on-board Navigation system on the following models:

• 2009 and later Z4, 1, 3 and 7 Series
• 2010 and later 5 and 6 Series
• 2010 and later X5 and X6
• 2011 and later X3.