1:49 pm, January 5, 2023
BMW has offered buyers a glimpse into the years to come with the unveiling of a futuristic new concept car.
The i Vision Dee – standing for ‘Digital Emotional Experience’ – is crammed full of ultra modern tech which could feature on future models.
Among the most eye-catching features is its use of BMW’s iX E Ink technology, which allows the exterior to show up to 32 different colours.
The feature was first seen, in a much more limited capacity, on the German firm’s iX Flow from 2022, which could alternate between black and white.
Inside, there’s a ‘Mixed Reality Slider’ which works in combination with the advanced head-up display system.
Drivers can then tailor how much digital content they want to see on the display, ranging in five steps from the most basic driving-related information right the way up to ‘entry into virtual worlds’.
If selecting the latter most option, the windows can also be dimmed to focus the experience.
Inside, the steering wheel features touch-sensitive controls which ‘come to life’ when the driver sits in place. These controls access many of the digital functions of the car, including what kind of images or video are projected onto the windscreen.
BMW says that the design of the i Vision Dee has been ‘deliberately pared down’ so that drivers focus on the digital aspects of the car.
However, the exterior does follow the familiar ‘three-box’ design of cars like the 3 Series, perhaps suggesting that the future of the firm’s popular saloon could look something like this.
Traditional design aspects, such as the kidney grille, twin circular headlights and Hofmeister kink remains but have been replaced by ‘phygical’ icons instead of analogue design touches.
The car was showcased at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
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