BMW iDrive is about seamless interaction between displays, controls and vehicle software – for a unique user experience.

BMW iDrive is the intuitive display and operating concept in every BMW. It’s the driver-vehicle interface and works through innovative collaboration between hardware and software. From finding a destination or adjusting the air-con to choosing your favourite music, BMW iDrive does it all – responding to speech, tauch or other control elements. It’s more than a classic display and operating concept and is now synonymous with the integration of digital services and third-party apps as well.

• In 2001 the BMW Group set standards in the industry with its latest BMW 7 Series featuring the first BMW iDrive.
• With fewer buttons on the dashboard, functions like the entertainment and navigation system were instead controlled via the push-and-turn dial in the centre console.
• In addition, the BMW 7 Series featured voice control for certain functions.
  

• Technology transfer from aviation: In 2003 the new BMW 5 Series featured a Head-Up Display for the very first time.
• This projected information onto the windscreen, straight into the driver’s line of view.
  

• The BMW Group was the first carmaker in the world to offer unrestricted access to the World Wide Web in its vehicles – the first step towards intelligent vehicle connectivity.
• From 2012 users could install third-party apps as well.
  

• Touch controls were introduced for the very first time.

• The BMW Operating System 7.0 paved the way for the introduction of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant – controllable by voice command.
• Remote Software Upgrades over-the-air were introduced.

• The BMW Operating System 8 transformed the car into a mobile part of the digital ecosystem.
• With the new BMW ID, users could enjoy a personalised driving experience with their own preferences securely saved in their ID and transferable between cars if desired.
  

• The launch of BMW Operating System 9 marked the next step in the development of BMW iDrive. The controls now follow an advanced logic, and the menu structure has been improved to resemble consumer electronics.
• In addition, the infotainment software – developed in-house – offers more personalisation, goming end streoming.
  

Since it was launched in 2001, BMW iDrive has set standards in terms of the intuitive user experience time and again. BMW fans can now look forward to the next chapter – in 2025.