Audi MMI
Rotary controller and pop-up screen from 2002; two stacked haptic touchscreens from 2017.
- Maker
- Years
- Versions
- Cars
- Input
MMI went into production in the A8 (D3) in late 2002, built around a rotate-and-press controller on the centre console with function buttons around it. Later steps added a hard drive and 3D maps (2008), a handwriting touchpad called MMI touch (A8 D4, 2010) and, from 2012, the Volkswagen Group’s modular infotainment platform MIB. In 2017 the A8 (D5) replaced the rotary controller with MMI touch response, and from 2023 the Q6 e-tron moved MMI onto Android Automotive. MMI 3G and 3G+ run on QNX, in a head unit built by Harman/Becker.
Versions
| Version | Years | Display | Input | Operating system | First car | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMI 2G | 2002 | 7-inch | Rotary controller, buttons, steering-wheel controls | Not recorded | A8 (D3) | 1, 3, 4 |
| MMI 3G | 2008 | 800 × 480 | Rotary controller, buttons, steering-wheel controls | QNX Neutrino | A8 (D3) | 1, 5, 18, 19, 20 |
| MMI 3G+ with MMI touch | 2010 | 8-inch | Rotary controller, touchpad, buttons | QNX Neutrino | A8 (D4) | 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 18, 19 |
| MMI on MIB (first generation) | 2012 | Not recorded | Not recorded | QNX (MIB High) | Not recorded | 1, 2, 21, 22 |
| MMI on MIB2 | 2014 | Not recorded | Rotary controller, touchpad, voice, buttons, steering-wheel controls | Not recorded | TT (8S) | 1, 2, 10, 11 |
| MMI touch response (MIB2+) | 2017 | 8.6–10.1-inch | Touchscreen, voice, steering-wheel controls | QNX (Audi Q8) | A8 (D5) | 9, 12, 13, 14, 23 |
| MMI on MIB3 | 2019 | 10.1-inch | Touchscreen, voice, steering-wheel controls | Linux | A8 (D5) (earliest in the archive) | 1, 15, 16, 24 |
| MMI on Android Automotive | 2023 | Not recorded | Not recorded | Android Automotive | Not recorded | 17 |
The table scrolls sideways.
Cars fitted
Photos
Version notes
MMI 2G
- Production debut in the A8 (D3) in late 2002, after the operating concept was shown on the Avantissimo concept car in 2001.
- In the A8, a 7-inch screen rises from the centre of the dashboard; when it is lowered, MMI content appears on a smaller display between the gauges.
- A rotate-and-press controller behind the gear selector, ringed by function keys.
- The A8 (D3) introduced Audi's first GPS navigation with DVD maps.
MMI 3G
- Offered first on the A8 from mid-2008 (production week 36), then on the A6 and Q5.
- Also known as MMI II in period press.
- 800 x 480 TFT display with LED backlighting.
- 40 GB hard drive for navigation data, with 10 GB usable for music.
- 3D map display rendered by an Nvidia graphics processor.
- A joystick function in the MMI controller.
MMI 3G+ with MMI touch
- MMI touch: a touchpad next to the controller for writing letters and numbers with a finger, introduced with the A8 (D4).
- Handwriting recognition also reads Cyrillic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters.
- In the A8, a high-resolution 8-inch MMI screen.
- In the A8 (D4) from production week 45/2010.
- Hard-disk navigation with 3D graphics, UMTS internet access and a WLAN hotspot.
MMI on MIB (first generation)
- Debuted in the 2012 Audi A3 as the Volkswagen Group's modular infotainment platform.
- Built around an Nvidia Tegra 2 (T20) processor.
- In the A3 the MMI touchpad moved onto the top of the rotary pushbutton, a layout Audi calls the touchwheel and later carried over to other models.
MMI on MIB2
- Arrived about 18 months after MIB, in the TT, A6 and A7 Sportback.
- Quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 (T30) processor, which also drives the first Audi virtual cockpit in the TT.
- In the TT, a redesigned MMI terminal with flat menu hierarchies and two function buttons around the rotary pushbutton instead of four.
- Keeps the touchwheel introduced in the 2012 A3; new were high-resolution detection of turning movements and multi-finger gestures for scrolling and zooming.
MMI touch response (MIB2+)
- Two stacked touchscreens replace the rotary controller and touchpad: a 10.1-inch upper display and an 8.6-inch lower display.
- Presses are confirmed with a click and a haptic pulse from an electromagnet, at a 2.4-newton activation threshold.
- The lower screen handles climate, comfort functions and text or handwriting input.
- Natural-language voice control.
- Runs on the MIB 2+ platform.
MMI on MIB3
- Rolled out across Volkswagen Group brands, Audi included, between 2019 and 2020.
- Built-in eSIM, over-the-air updates and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
- Standard as MMI navigation plus in the facelifted A8, which UK buyers could order from December 2021, with deliveries from spring 2022.
MMI on Android Automotive
- Android Automotive-based MMI in the Q6 e-tron, whose interior was shown in September 2023 and whose production began in November 2023.
- 14.5-inch touchscreen and 11.9-inch instrument display combined in one panoramic unit.
- Optional 10.9-inch display for the front passenger.
Sources
- 1.Multi Media Interface
- 2.MMI
- 3.Audi A8
- 4.2003 Audi A8 review: Our expert's take
- 5.Audi's new generation MMI
- 6.2011 Audi A8 (press text)
- 7.2011 Audi A8 priced from $78,050
- 8.2011 Audi A8: get your full details here
- 9.The touch
- 10.Audi Virtual Cockpit Debuts in New TT Models
- 11.Audi TT interior revealed at CES 2014
- 12.De nieuwe Audi A8: de toekomst van de luxeklasse (Audi MediaInfo A17/29N, 11 July 2017)
- 13.Wards: Easter eggs plentiful in Audi A8 L
- 14.2018 Audi A8 (press material)
- 15.Refreshed Audi A8 pioneers new intelligent tech
- 16.Audi A8 flagship gets new look and more tech for 2022
- 17.Audi Q6 e-tron
- 18.QNX to Provide Software Platform for Next-Generation Audi Infotainment System
- 19.From In-Car Infotainment to Home Automation, QNX Powers 2011 CES
- 20.Audi's new MMI system will debut in Q5
- 21.TI to be driving force behind Audi's next-gen MIB High infotainment platform
- 22.Volkswagen Group launches new versions of its best-sellers VW Golf, Audi A3 and Skoda Octavia with next-generation Infotainment solutions from HARMAN
- 23.A look inside BlackBerry QNX's CES 2019 booth
- 24.Audi's new infotainment will switch from your favorite station's radio waves to its streaming
Related
Photo credits
Photo credits (6)
- Audi A8 (D5), centre display“Navigation technology at the highest level” (opens in a new tab) · © AUDI AG · Editorial use (opens in a new tab) · Audi Media Center
- Audi A8 (D3), centre display“Audi A8 Adaptive Air Suspension Control” (opens in a new tab) · Photo: Lklundin · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · Wikimedia Commons
- Audi A8 (D3), cockpit“Audi A8 4.2 TDI quattro tiptronic Interieur” (opens in a new tab) · Photo: Thomas doerfer · CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab) · Wikimedia Commons
- Audi A8 (D4), cockpit“Audi A8 L (2010): Cockpit” (opens in a new tab) · © AUDI AG · Editorial use (opens in a new tab) · Audi Media Center
- Audi TT (8S), cockpit“Audi TT Coupé (until 2023): Cockpit” (opens in a new tab) · © AUDI AG · Editorial use (opens in a new tab) · Audi Media Center
- Audi A8 (D5), cockpit“Audi A8: Cockpit” (opens in a new tab) · © AUDI AG · Editorial use (opens in a new tab) · Audi Media Center