BMW just revealed its latest infotainment system interface at this Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and in the same breath, the Munich-based automaker announced the end of its iDrive controller. Replacing the iconic rotary control knob is BMW’s new Panoramic Vision, a completely haptic multi-touchscreen-based system that will no longer utilize any sort of physical controls whatsoever, aside from steering wheel controls.
The Bayerische Motoren Werk has already begun hinting at the slow phasing out of iDrive with some of its updated infotainment systems in its more recent models, such as the X2. But now, the automaker has officially put the final nail in the coffin to make way for BMW’s next-generation system.
Bye-Bye iDrive Knob, Hello BMW Panoramic Vision
It almost feels like yesterday, but it was over 20 years ago since BMW introduced iDrive on the E65/E66 7 Series in 2002. It pioneered the entire concept of utilizing a centralized rotary dial to control an LCD-based infotainment system inside a vehicle. Back then, it was perceived as a hugely controversial change, as many safety experts and analysts decried it as a major safety concern in the form of an additional driving distraction. But it was introduced at a time when computers inside vehicles, specifically larger and more complex in-car screens and infotainment systems, were just starting to proliferate.
Since the E65/E66 7 Series, BMW implemented it into every model, making it an iconic center-piece for the company’s signature infotainment system. It even influenced other automakers’ interfaces, which utilize a similar single rotary controller for its ergonomic interface between the front occupants and the car’s onboard computers and interactive systems. Some imitators include Audi’s MMI interface, Mazda’s current Connect system, and Mercedes-Benz’s COMAND in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Now, BMW Panoramic Vision will take its place, with its premise being a “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road” approach.” It features an Android-based operating system called, BMW Operating System X, which is said to integrate some of the latest artificial intelligence technology to provide a new “holistic” system and allow for greater customization and personalization for BMW’s next generation of vehicles.
The new OS also integrates and implements BMW’s latest Intelligent Personal Assistant. Similar to systems like Mercedes-Benz’s MBUX, the new software enables more accurate voice and speech recognition-based control over some of the car’s major in-car functions, which can be triggered by someone simply saying, “Hey BMW.”
In addition to a huge central screen on the center console, BMW’s Panoramic Vision utilizes multiple other high-definition displays placed on the upper portion of the dashboard. It’s similar to Lincoln’s extra-ultra-wide 48-inch panoramic high-definition LCD display that debuted on its current Nautilus crossover SUV.
A completely redesigned and optional BMW 3D Head-Up Display completes the package, which the company says helps to keep driver’s eyes on the road by keeping their vision facing forward. Drivers can then control the system via steering wheel controls and updated hand gestures.
“Technology and customer preferences are changing more quickly than ever. “The design of digital experiences and sound is playing an ever more important role,” Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President of BMW Group Design, said in a statement. “The new BMW Panoramic iDrive not only makes our vehicles smarter and more user-friendly, it also enables much more extensive personalization, which turns every new BMW into a car that is very much the user’s own.”
BMW says its new Panoramic Vision interface helps pave the way for its next-generation of Neue Klasse vehicles and will be implemented into all of its models starting at the end of 2025.
Read the full article here
