BMW has revealed the remarkable new BMW iDrive – the latest infotainment system that will power the driver experience of the future at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The software acts as the intelligent hub of the vehicle and includes intuitive new features including BMW Panoramic Vision – a head up display that offers visible information on the windscreen from pillar to pillar.
The new system will be introduced in all BMW models from the end of 2025.
“High tech meets highly intuitive operation – a quarter of a century of pioneering work and technological leadership in operating concepts has been channelled into the new BMW Panoramic iDrive says Frank Weber, member of the board of management at BMW AG, responsible for development.
“The foundations are provided by the new BMW Operating System X.
“With this advance, we are giving one of the world’s best and most comprehensive infotainment systems even greater capability and once again setting the industry benchmark in multimodal interaction.
“Starting with the first series produced Neue Klasse model at the end of this year, the BMW Panoramic iDrive will form an integral part of all future BMW models.”
Here the four main elements of the new BMW iDrive:
BMW PANORAMIC VISION
This is an all new head up display designed to project relevant information onto a black printed surface in the lower section of the windscreen.
This area goes from one side of the windscreen to the other and makes the information visible to everyone in the vehicle.
The most important driving information is projected in the driver’s line of sight above the steering wheel.
It’s possible for the driver to personalise the content in the central and right hand areas of the BMW Panoramic Vision using the central touch screen display unit.
BMW 3D HEAD UP DISLAY
The new BMW 3D Heads Up display appears above the BMW Panoramic Vision and offers navigation and automated driving information directly in the driver’s field of view.
The ability to project two head up displays – The BMW Panoramic Vision and BMW 3D Head Up display – is the result of several patent applications from the BMW Group.
CENTRAL DISPLAY
Naturally, there is a central display which now features an updated menu structure with Quick Select to ensure fast and easy operation via the touch screen.
And because it is operated while you’re driving, operation must be easy and convenient and located close to the steering wheel in an ideal position.
The selected content widgets can also be added to the BMW Panoramic Vision simply by swiping up on the central display.
Drivers can have up to six widgets arranged in their preferred order in the BMW Panoramic Vision.
MULTIFUNCTION STEERING WHEEL
The new multifunction steering wheel will display relevant buttons which are illuminated when available.
The buttons on the steering wheel also have active haptic feedback and will be easy to locate thanks to their size and shape so the driver can activate them without taking their eyes off the road.
The button arrangement follows this similar principle of driver assistance functions being positioned on the left side of the wheel while content controlling buttons a position on the right side.
These four elements reinforces BMWs “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road” approach while the balanced BMW Panoramic iDrive provides the driver with the right information in the right place at the right time.
The system maintains the useful combination of physical switches and buttons with digital controls while other functions will rely on touch or voice control via the multifunction steering wheel including phone functions, media control, navigation, assisted driving and personalisation of displays.
BMW has taken the learnings from more than 22 million connected BMW vehicles and studies from BMW Group’s usability labs which involved more than 3000 customers.
Every decision on the new system was based on data and feedback from drivers.
BMW OPERATING SYSTEM X
The BMW Operating System X Is a major update that was developed entirely in house at BMW.
The system is based on an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) software stack With the greater update and upgrade capacity than the previous system so it is ready for future improvements as well as being backwards compatible.
The expanded capacity of BMW Operating System X is what made it possible for the BMW Panoramic Vision and optional BMW 3D Head Up display, central display and multifunction steering wheel to work together seamlessly.
For example, if a call is received it activates a graphic on the BMW Panoramic Vision while the relevant button is illuminated on the steering wheel in green which shows the driver the option of taking the call by pressing the button or rejecting it with a swipe on the right hand side of the steering wheel.
The BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant responds to the prompt “Hey BMW” or can be activated using the respective button on the multifunction steering wheel.
The capabilities of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant have also been improved thanks to the integration of large language models which will give the driver the opportunity for more extensive spoken commands using natural language.
For example, the driver may ask “take me to a charging station which is close to a food store.”
BMW Operating System X will offer more than 60 apps worldwide and will continue to grow with the inclusion of productivity apps including video conferencing app Zoom.
* Stephen Fenech travelled to Spartanburg, North Carolina in November as a guest of BMW
* Stephen Fenech travelled to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with support from Samsung, Hisense, LG, ASUS, Roborock and Ecovacs.
