The informative press release referenced was published in December and refers to BMW’s efforts to adopt a new smartphone and watch Digital Key standard:

BMW goes on to acknowledge the Car Connectivity Consortium responsible for standardizing the new Digital Key feature between cars and connected devices. Notably, Apple’s involvement with the CCC was publicly referenced in 2018:

New Car Key features

The CCC recently made news when it unveiled new features for version 2.0 of Digital Key:

Companies including Apple and BMW can already support Digital Key Release 2.0, and new features in version 3.0 will further enhance the experience:

Ultra-wideband required?

Relevant for Apple, version 3.0 will take advantage of the UWB, or ultra-wideband chip, introduced to iPhones with the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Apple has only used the UWB chip for a minor enhancement to its AirDrop wireless data transfer feature.

To support these new features, the CCC is developing a specification based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) in combination with Ultra-Wideband (UWB) to enable passive keyless access and to allow secure and accurate positioning.

BMW describes how UWB will be useful for Digital Key:

iPhone and Apple Watch

Apple working closely with BMW for Digital Key is no surprise. BMW was also the first car maker to adopt Wireless CarPlay, Apple’s advanced version of its useful infotainment feature based on the iPhone.

We expect Apple to brand their Digital Key support as CarKey, similar to CarPlay. It’s possible Apple will require the iPhone 11 and later for CarKey so the feature will be more convenient and secure, although beta code can be triggered on other iPhones.

CCC’s Digital Key standard also works with tablets, although it’s unclear if the iPad will work with Apple’s CarKey feature. Apple has only included the UWB chip in iPhones to date, although iOS 13.4 beta code clearly references Apple Watch support.

This may suggest Apple CarKey will only require NFC chips found in several iPhone generations, although it’s possible the next Apple Watch could gain UWB and be required for Apple CarKey.

Apple CarKey features

Similar to CarPlay, Apple could also support two versions of CarKey: one that requires near contact, and one that allows you to leave your iPhone in your pocket.

BMW drivers, for example, could unlock and start their car with Wireless CarPlay automatically initiated all without taking their iPhone out of the bag or pocket.

More

Ready to take the i8 for a spin @MaxWinebach? pic.twitter.com/bmKqY71BEd

— Dongle (@DongleBookPro) March 23, 2020