BMW Group has celebrated their centenary by revealing car of the future : the BMW Vision Next 100 car which is built for the autonomous age where it can learn from its driver and shape shift to create the ultimate driving experience. After it’s appearance in Geneva the next opportunity to see the BMW Vision Next 100 will be in London between the 16th-26th June, where the MINI and Rolls-Royce Vision Vehicles will also be unveiled.
Alive Geometry
Shape shifting, yes really but BMW refer to it as Alive Geometry! The car uses revolutionary materials and manufacturing processes to shape shift. Panels on the outside of the car, made up of hundreds of triangles, respond to the driver intuitively to bend and move, reacting to their surroundings to create the ultimate driving experience.
Autonomous by choice
Autonomous by choice, the car has two modes – Boost which allows the driver to take control and Ease, which is completely autonomous. In Boost mode Alive Geometry will highlight the best driving line and warns when other cars are oncoming beyond the drivers vision. The driver can interact with the car via gesture control and the entire windscreen communicates with them, projecting information into their line of sight. Based on what the car knows about the driver, it will choose to share the most valuable information to improve their personal driving experience and in foggy conditions it can even create a digital image of the cars surroundings.
In Ease mode the steering wheel and central console disappear, the seats merge with the door panels and incline towards each other to create a relaxing space that means it is easy to chat and interact with each other. Alive Geometry becomes more discreet and will inform passengers of any changes in speed, whilst the Heads-Up display offers personalised content. The transitions between the two modes is completely seamless.
The Companion
The Companion is the car’s artificial intelligence programme that allows the vehicle to learn from the person behind the wheel. It learns from the constant exchange of data – the more it learns about the driver and their mobility habits, the smarter is becomes and offers support that ensures they are the ‘ultimate driver’. Eventually it will know the driver so well that it will automatically perform routine tasks or offer advice without being asked – this concept is particularly impressive from BMW.
Sustainability
At the forefront of the world’s biggest manufacturers minds is always sustainability and the ability to recycle materials – a concept fully taken on board by the BMW Group. The car is made of recycled or renewable materials and the carbon components are made from the residues of normal carbon fibre production. To support sustainable manufacturing there will be no leather and wood used in the future, new innovative materials will be developed – there is no leather in the car at all, just high-quality textiles.
For the next centenary of BMW Group they have announced their guiding principles for their future of mobility.
“BMWs will always be about sheer driving pleasure – the cars will be autonomous but only when the driver wants” as a customer would always like to hear, the end result and driving pleasure is at the forefront of the minds of those developing the future of motoring.
“Technology will become more human” meaning that the technology will learn from us by becoming intuitive with the ability to anticipate needs and operate seamlessly without the need for screens or touch technology.
“New materials will open up new opportunities” – the use of carbon is an indicator of what change is to come. whilst 4D printing will replace conventional manufacturing tools, producing intelligent materials that will open up unimagined design/engineering possibilities
“Mobility will remain an emotional experience” – BMW promises to provide drivers and passengers with a complete sensory experience by keeping them at the heart of the drive, exactly what a customer comes to expect of BMW.
Following on from BMW’s official birthday (7th March) and it’s 122,000 employee celebration event the BMW Vision Next will begin it’s world tour making it’s Asian debut between the 5th-15th March. Then, it’s hello London, with the unveiling of the MINI and Rolls-Royce Vision Vehicles in June.
