More than a Promise

Driving pleasure – what will it look like in the future? The BMW Group is giving drivers a taste of the driving experience of the future today, with some of the innovative features in the NEUE KLASSE models – set to be launched as a total package in 2025 – already found in series production vehicles. The BMW Vision Cars demonstrate how the Group is thinking ahead with its innovations.

“Lots of people have ideas. But realising and implementing them is what sets the BMW Group apart from others. We’re really good at that.”
Torsten Julich BMW Group Spokesperson
Digital Driving Experience, User Interaction, Connected Cars.

BMW VISION

The BMW Group is certainly not lacking when it comes to visionary power, as evidenced by the concept vehicles BMW i Vision Circular, BMW i Vision Dee, BMW VISION Neue Klasse and BMW VISION Neue Klasse X. But visions alone are not enough to put the next generation of vehicles on the road.

The new BMW iDrive is a fine example of the Group’s technological expertise and ability to implement projects, with some visionary features available in vehicles today, even though the intuitive display and user interface will only be launched in NEUE KLASSE models from 2025.

Electric, digital, circular: the BMW Vision Vehicles

Virtual Tour

Get an in-depth look at the BMW VISION Neue Klasse: Take a 360-degree tour around the vehicle and discover its interior and exterior.

Experience the 3D model

BMW iDRIVE

Driving and conducting

The new BMW iDrive, a NEUE KLASSE model, features four central display elements and controls, including BMW Panoramic Vision, an innovative head-up display that covers the width of the entire windscreen, the BMW 3D head-up display in the driver’s direct line of sight, the multifunction steering wheel with tactile feedback and the central display.

Central display

Trapezoidal control centre: intuitive high-resolution touchscreen powered by matrix backlight technology

BMW Panoramic Vision

A new perspective: information projected across the windscreen, from A-pillar to A-pillar

Multifunction steering wheel

Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel: illuminated steering wheel buttons and haptic feedback for optimal control

BMW 3D head-up Display

For active driving situations: precise 3D animations of relevant information within the driver’s line of sight

“They work together like an orchestra,” explains Julich. The perfectly coordinated controls and information elements allow drivers to interact intuitively with their car. They can, for example, use the BMW Panoramic Vision to share information on the route or music streaming with all passengers. To do so, the driver uses the touch function to drag the content on the central display onto the large Panoramic Vision Display and then controls it using the buttons on the steering wheel.

A private cinema on four wheels

Seeing information spread across the width of the entire windscreen is an absolute novelty. While the 3D head-up display only projects information relevant to the journey in the driver’s line of sight, the content on the Panoramic Vision Display can be seen by all passengers, making the vehicle more like another living space. In the new BMW 7 Series, the Theatre Screen – a 31-inch ultra-wide display with a resolution of up to 8K, surround sound and powerful 5G connectivity – will make passengers in the back feel like they are in a private cinema.

“Speech is the most powerful form of human interaction.“
Torsten Julich BMW Group Spokesperson
Digital Driving Experience, User Interaction, Connected Cars.

Putting words into action

Voice control is also becoming increasingly important. Drivers can already experience high-quality voice assistants with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant and MINI’s digital character, Spike. The new BMW iX2, launching globally in March 2024, features the BMW Operating System 9 and the “QuickSelect” function as found in the BMW iDrive, allowing for intuitive operation and voice interaction. And that is just the beginning. Generative AI, which makes the interaction between people and vehicles even more human and provides contextual information, has great potential. The underlying AI technology is known as a large language model. The BMW Group is carrying out extensive research into the possibilities, potential and applications of this technology.

Let the car take charge – safely

The driver’s seat is not the best place to sit back and relax – unless, that is, the car takes charge with its automated and autonomous driving. Drivers can allow the vehicle to take control using the BMW iDrive interface, which shows when driver assistance systems are available, allows drivers to enable and disable them, and independently gives visual and acoustic cues when drivers must retake control.

Five levels to autonomous driving

0 0 No automation 1 Driver assistance 2 Partly automated driving 3 Highly automated 4 Fully automated 5 Autonomous

No automation

Human drives the car themselves

No automation

Driver assistance

Human steers and monitors acceleration and braking

Vehicle controls acceleration, braking and steering

Partly automated driving

Human monitors acceleration, braking and steering

Vehicle controls acceleration, braking and steering

Highly automated

Human is always ready to take control

Vehicle prompts driver to take control in certain situations

Fully automated

Human intervention required only for specific driving situations

Vehicle does not prompt driver to take control

Autonomous

No human driver required
Vehicle drives independently

Human

Machine

Transfer of responsibility

The new BMW 5 Series and 7 Series offer level 2 hands-free and level 3 functions for the semi-autonomous and highly autonomous vehicles in the portfolio.

The motorway assistant in the new BMW 5 Series will regulate speed and distance from surrounding vehicles as well as steering when driving up to 130 kilometres per hour. This additional function offered by the steering and lane guidance assistant can be used on motorways where the directions of travel are separated by a barrier.

>56,460

sold units of the BMW Highway Assistant (Level 2 hands-free) since its market launch.^*

The active lane change assistant allows the person at the wheel to approve automatic lane changes just by looking in the wing mirror. In Germany, the new BMW 5 Series Sedan is the first vehicle that allows this intense semi-autonomous driving experience.

While drivers must keep their attention on the traffic in semi-autonomous driving mode, they can focus on other activities in highly autonomous level 3 driving, such as emails or social media. This feature is available on German motorways at speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour with the BMW Personal Pilot L3 in the BMW 7 Series.

^*Available in the new BMW 5 Series and selected markets since October 2023. Further markets and models will follow from March 2024 onwards.

BMW i5

BMW Charging for optimised charging, intelligent motorway assistants and the BMW Live Cockpit with Augmented View: the new all-electric BMW i5 delivers efficiency and comfort – no matter how far you’re going.

Consumption and carbon disclosures

BMW i7

Highly automated driving at Level 3: thanks to the BMW Personal Pilot L3, the BMW i7 lets drivers take their hands off the steering wheel and temporarily divert their attention from the road for the first time.

Consumption and carbon disclosures

BMW iX2

The BMW iX2 combines the flexibility of the BMW X Series with the all-electric drive of BMW i. With an electric range of up to 449 kilometres, it is perfectly equipped for longer journeys.

Consumption and carbon disclosures

MINI Cooper
Electric

The MINI Cooper Electric is part of the new MINI family. It combines a modern, eco-friendly drive with emotional driving pleasure and creates a unique digital mobility experience with the MINI Operating System 9.

Consumption and carbon disclosures

MINI Countryman
Electric

The all-electric MINI Countryman is all about versatility and local emissions-free mobility. All MINIs will be electric from 2030 onwards.

Consumption and carbon disclosures

MINI Aceman

The MINI Aceman will be unveiled in April 2024. This all-electric crossover marks a brand-new addition to the MINI family.

Consumption and carbon disclosures

Rolls-Royce
Spectre

The Spectre became the first all-electric automobile to be manufactured by Rolls-Royce in 2023. With 141,200 transmitter-receiver functions, more than ten driver assistance systems and the Rolls-Royce Whispers app, the Spectre is highly intelligent and features an extensive connectivity suite.

Consumption and carbon disclosures

BMW
CE 04

Intelligent and energetic – the BMW CE 04 is a multifunctional e-scooter for urban environments. With BMW Motorrad Connectivity and the BMW Motorrad Connected app, mobility and communication merge into one.

Consumption and carbon disclosures

Always stay up to date

“The digital experience thrives on its permanent updatability and having the most up-to-date features and functions,” explains Julich. This is complemented by smartphone applications such as the My BMW App or the MINI App, which connect customers with their vehicles beyond driving activities. In addition to planning remote software upgrades, the My BMW App enables route planning and, for electric vehicles, charge planning, provides information on the status of the vehicle, automatically handles service appointments and is the interface to BMW digital premium offers, and much more.

More than a promise THE BMW iDRIVE

Virtual Tour

Virtual Tour

Driving and conducting

A private cinema on four wheels

Putting words into action

Let the car take charge – safely

Five levels to autonomous driving

0 0 No automation 1 Driver assistance 2 Partly automated driving 3 Highly automated 4 Fully automated 5 Autonomous

No automation

Driver assistance

Partly automated driving

Highly automated

Fully automated

Autonomous

Always stay up to date

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