BMW owners shown Spider-Man ads on their infotainment screens, but not in Australia

BMW owners around the world have taken to social media after their vehicles displayed a promotion for the latest Spider-Man: Brand New Day film on their infotainment screens.

According to The Autopian, the promotion is part of a tie-up between the German carmaker, Sony Pictures and Marvel.

A banner appears on the vehicle’s media screen when it is started. Selecting it launches a full-screen animation featuring music and, in compatible vehicles, a show using the car’s ambient lighting.

BMW described the animation as an “exclusive” and a “special surprise” for drivers.

“The in-vehicle animation is part of a broader brand partnership with the film,” a BMW spokesperson told The Autopian.

“A few of our vehicles – including the BMW iX3 – were in the film, and a special edition iX3 was featured on the red carpet during last night’s premiere in Los Angeles.”

The BMW 5 Series also appears in the film, with BMW saying the partnership “underlines the BMW commitment to combining innovation, technology and cultural relevance”.

The animation will be available until August 10, 2026 in BMWs built after July 2020, running BMW Operating System 7, 8, 8.5, 9 or X, and sold in participating markets.

BMW Australia told CarExpert it chose not to participate in the promotion, and we're not aware of any local BMW drivers reporting that the animation has appeared in their vehicle.

"Market participation was assessed locally, and based on our understanding of Australian customer preferences, we have chosen not to participate in this activity," said a BMW spokesperson.

BMW senior vice-president of user interface and user experience Stephan Durach told CarScoops in 2023 that the automaker was not looking to sell infotainment screen space to advertisers because a vehicle’s cabin was “a private place”.

His comments followed BMW’s decision to abandon a controversial scheme under which owners in some markets were charged a subscription fee to activate the heated seats already installed in their vehicles.

BMW is not the first automaker to face criticism for displaying promotional material inside customer vehicles.

Stellantis, which owns brands including Jeep, Fiat, Ram and Peugeot, attracted controversy in 2024 and 2025 when advertisements appeared on the infotainment screens of some customer vehicles.

The automaker initially attributed some of the pop-ups to an error, while also describing others as important owner notifications, including recall notices.

Owners could opt out of the messages, despite being enrolled by default.

Other automakers, including Subaru, Tesla and Ford, have also explored forms of in-car promotion or advertising.

In 2021, Ford filed a patent for in-car display ads, and filed another in 2024 for a system using information including a vehicle’s location, speed and destination to determine when and how advertisements were presented.

The patent also discussed analysing conversations inside the vehicle to select advertising content. However, the filing of a patent does not mean Ford plans to introduce the technology in production vehicles.

The BMW promotion comes amid growing scrutiny of data security and consent as more new cars connect to the internet and transmit information to manufacturers and third parties.

In June 2026, Polestar was effectively outlawed by new US connected-vehicle regulations restricting vehicles with certain links to China or Russia on national-security grounds.

The regulations will prevent Polestar from selling affected new models in the US from the 2027 model year, rather than amounting to an immediate ban on its existing vehicles.

In Australia, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is reportedly investigating Toyota and Hyundai over potential breaches of privacy laws, including how the companies collect and use customer information and obtain consent.

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