Automotive News Daily Drive Feb. 27, 2026 | Software woes persist; BMW’s humanoid robot expansion
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Feb 27, 2026 Kyler Owens, CEO of Wide Whale, shares quick findings from a 2026 Voice of the Customer study on dealership service communication. Doug Bolduck, Automotive News reporter in Munich, reports on BMW’s humanoid robot expansion and hands-on technical hurdles. They discuss infotainment and OTA reliability, communication best practices for service, robot learning speed, and why automakers are racing toward humanoids.
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Infotainment Is The Biggest Software Weakness
- Infotainment and phone connectivity remain the weakest dependability areas in new vehicles, undermining confidence in software-defined cars.
- J.D. Power found 58% of owners saw no improvement after OTA updates and only 27% reported better experience, showing updates often lack meaningful change.
Software Glitch Triggers Massive Ford Recall
- A major Ford recall shows software bugs can create safety-critical failures when modules lose communication during towing.
- Ford will fix 4.3 million pickups and SUVs from 2021–2026 with an over-the-air software update to restore trailer lights and brakes.
BMW Robots Logged Real Hours But Struggle With Dexterity
- At BMW's Spartanburg trial humanoid robots logged 1,250+ hours and moved over 90,000 parts, proving practical value in tedious tasks.
- Doug Bolduck tried a robot simulator and found simple hand tasks surprisingly difficult, highlighting remaining dexterity gaps.