Difficult to tell right now. It maybe just an additional paid service of Assist, so the hardware (Combox) would already be in the car, so the owner would just need software updates and enabling.

BMW tend not to do that though .... just thinking recently about the Apps debacle. They really want you to buy a new car if you want the latest tech/capability.

But there's plenty of smart people around that can do these sorts of upgrades and retrofits without BMW.

But bear in mind what I said earlier ... this is still to be an official announced capability, and so far no plans to bring to the USA.

I would never play the waiting game with technology in cars. Not anymore. Things are changing too quickly. Accept what they offer today, and if it works for you, get it. There are always options to upgrade and retrofit later :-)