BMW celebrates centenary with Vision Next one hundred concept
BMW celebrates centenary with Vision Next one hundred concept
To mark its centenary, BMW has exposed how it thinks the future might look, in the form of the Vision Next one hundred concept
T he Vision Next one hundred concept car has been unveiled at a ceremony in Munich to feast BMW’s centenary. It marks the very first of four major concepts that the German car and motorcycle manufacturer will showcase this year.
Albeit it boasts self-driving capability, the Vision Next one hundred will also permit the driver the option of taking control, with BMW keen to align itself with its reputation for building what it has described in the past as ‘the ultimate driving machines’.
“In developing the BMW Vision Next 100, the main objective was to create not an anonymous vehicle but one that is very personalised and fully geared to meet the driver’s every need – because the very emotional connection inbetween a BMW and its driver is something we want to retain,” the company said in a statement.
I t goes on to describe the concept as combining coupe-like styling with the elegance of a saloon (with Rolls-Royce-style rear hinged doors for those in the back). It also marks the debut of what BMW calls “Alive Geometry”, or the idea of intuitive driver-vehicle interaction, in which touchscreens are substituted with head-up displays and almost eight hundred moving triangles set into the car’s dash and interior panels that can be used to form gestures. “The triangles work in much the same way as a flock of birds in managed flight, their coordinated movements acting as signals that are lightly comprehensible to those inwards the car,” said BMW.
In addition to this, the Vision Next one hundred offers two modes of operation. The very first of these, Boost, gives control to the driver, albeit with added assistance features as a guide to indicate ideal driving line, steering angle and speed for any given situation. It can also, through a large head-up display, generate digital pics of the car’s surroundings, improving safety in difficult driving conditions.
I n Ease mode meantime, the car not only drives itself, but turns into more of a lounge, with the interior lighting adjusting, the steering wheel and centre console moving away from the driver and the seats turning towards each other. Other road users will know which mode the car is in thanks to different colours being displayed not only through the headlights and rear lights, but also the trademark BMW kidney grille.
It might look big, but the Vision Next one hundred is in fact shorter and lower than the current 5-series saloon on the outside, but offers interior space to match the company’s flagship 7-series saloon. Thanks to nimble bodywork that covers the wheels, it is also said to be utterly aerodynamic.
T oday’s centenary event takes place at BMW’s fresh Group Classic building, which has been built on the site of its very first plant at Moosacher Straße 66, Munich. The company’s centenary celebrations will then head to China (May 5-15), before coming to the UK (June 16-26) where two more concepts will be unveiled, this time under BMW’s sub-brands Mini and Rolls-Royce (marking the very first time the luxury brand has shown a concept car). The tour will finish in California (October 11-16), where a concept BMW motorcycle will finish the four-strong line-up.
B MW says that these concepts look twenty to thirty years into the future, concentrating on issues such as connectivity and sustainability as opposed to how cars might be powered. In fact, it hasn’t even hinted about whether the Vision Next one hundred might be petrol, electrified or fuel-cell.
Other events to mark one hundred years of the German company include exhibitions in Munich at BMW Welt (reflecting what is being shown on the world tour) and its museum, where a display of key vehicles from its past will be displayed. To bring things to a close, there will be a festival in Munich to be held across the grounds of the Olympic Park from September 9-11.
For all the latest news, advice and reviews from Telegraph Cars, sign up to our weekly newsletter by injecting your email here
