On it’s 100th birthday, BMW welcomes you to the future of driving!

On March 7, German carmakers BMW celebrated their 100th birthday in Munich. Staying true to their culture of innovation, they unveiled a concept car — the BMW Vision Next 100 — which takes a look at how cars will be driven in the future.

The Vision Next 100 is in many ways similar to the cars we have today. It has four wheels (unlike many other concept vehicles) and keeps the basic shape of a car intact. So what’s really different? Literally, everything else!

In Vision Next, the driver will remain firmly in focus, with constant connectivity, digital intelligence and state-of-the-art technologies available for support. In short, the car will transform the driver into the ultimate driver.

The car’s interior design will permit two modes of operation — Boost mode, in which driver is at the controls (assisted by a highly intelligent electronic driving assistant named the Companion), and Ease mode, in which the driver sits back and let the vehicle take over (and watch movies or check social media on the widescreen).

In Boost mode, the entire vehicle focuses on the driver. While the seat and steering wheel change positions, the center console moves to become more strongly oriented towards the driver. He/she can then interact with the vehicle via gesture control.

The vehicle will continue to learn more about the driver, thanks to the Companion. It is symbolised by a small sculptural element, shaped like a large, cut gemstone, in the center of the dashboard, just beneath the windscreen. It represents the constant exchange of data — the more it learns about the owner and their mobility habits, the smarter it becomes. At some stage it knows the driver well enough to automatically perform routine tasks for them and offer advice when needed.

Alive Geometry is another innovation unlike anything seen before. It consists of a kind of three-dimensional sculpture that works both inside and outside the vehicle.

It consists of almost 800 moving triangles that are set into the instrument panel and into certain areas of the side panels. They work in three dimensions, communicating very directly with the driver through their movements. It means even the slightest peripheral movement is perceptible to the driver.

At 4.90M long and 1.37M high, the car boasts of compact exterior dimensions. The large wheels are positioned at the outer edges of the body. Exterior Alive Geometry contributes to an outstanding effect in aerodynamics. The innovative design gives it an extremely low drag coefficient of 0.18.

The Vision Next 100 primarily uses fabrics made from recycled or renewable materials. To support more sustainable manufacturing, less use will be made of wood and leather.

Watch an interactive website about the concept car here: http://www.next100.bmw/en/topics/bmw-vision-next-100.html

Courtesy: bmwblog.com