BMW Reveals Innovations at CES 2024

LAS VEGAS – BMW showcases several innovations earmarked for future production models at CES 2024 here.

Included are new digital infotainment functions as well as developments centering on BMW’s existing voice assistant and remote parking systems.

Among the digital advances is integrating gaming controllers with BMW’s latest 9.0 operating system. An extension of BMW’s gaming offerings, it allows single- and multi-player games via the AirConsole App.

BMW says the new Bluetooth controller integration (pictured, below) will be rolled out to selected production models in 2024, with customers able to choose from a selection of games via the BMW ConnectedDrive Store.

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Additionally, BMW reveals the latest changes to its Video App, which now allows digital content to be streamed on the central display in models with either the BMW 8.5 or 9.0 operating systems via a further developed TiVo App.

Developed in partnership with XPERI, the optimization of the TiVo App permits streaming of live TV channels as well as on-demand media libraries via a new DTS AutoStage video service. Initially launched on the eighth-generation 5-Series, BMW says it will be rolled out to other new models, including second-generation X2 and new Mini models, in 2024.

The BMW Video App is currently available in eight markets, including North America.

A further innovation being showcased is BMW’s wearable augmented reality technology, streamed through new XReal Air2 glasses. Developed in partnership with Meta Reality Labs and XREAL, it allows more comprehensive visualizations, including navigation, hazard, entertainment content, charging stations and parking assist functions, via the 3D glasses.  

BMW says the new glasses provide a more stable visualization of content than earlier incarnations of the XREAL Air. A more seamless connection to the sensor data of the car is also claimed to provide more precise pinpointing of visualizations.

Another development is an updated version of its Voice Assistant that operates in combination with Amazon’s Alexa Large Language Model (LLM). Earmarked for future production models, it brings additional artificial intelligence functionality to BMW’s Intelligent Personal Assistant, providing faster and more seamless processing of conversational commands and questions, according to the German automaker.

BMW is yet to confirm when its LLM-supported Voice Assistant will be made available, though it says the existing system, which works with limited AI functionality, will be improved on models running BMW’s 9.0 operating system in 2024.

The final development shown by BMW is its latest Level 4 autonomous driving technology. Developed in partnership with Valeo, it includes an automated valet parking function (pictured, below) that allows the driver to leave the car at a defined drop-off point. From this point onward, the car autonomously searches for an empty parking space and parks itself. BMW says the car also can return to the drop-off point autonomously when prompted by the driver via a smartphone.

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