BMW Celebrates Centennial With Visionary Concept

MUNICH, Germany – BMW unveils an advanced self-driving concept car called the Vision Next 100 at a ceremony here to mark its 100th anniversary at the company’s original factory, now home to its Classic department.

The Vision Next 100 showcases new construction and design techniques as well as digital-based interaction methods and autonomous-driving technology already under development for inclusion on future BMW models.

BMW CEO Harald Krueger says the Vision Next 100 is the first in a series of four similarly themed concept cars under construction at BMW-owned brands Mini, Rolls-Royce and its motorcycle operations. All of the concepts will be unveiled during 2016, BMW’s centennial year.

Conceived to anticipate mobility needs a century after the German automaker was established as the Bayerische Motoren Werke in 1916 (out of the aircraft engine operations at the earlier Rapp Motoren Werke), the concept also explores ways the company’s brand values and emphasis on driving pleasure may translate into the future.

BMW doesn’t reveal the drivetrain for the Vision Next 100, but the concept provides insight into the company’s vision of autonomous driving and how it might dovetail with the automaker’s manual-driving mantra featured prominently in its global marketing. BMW says it believes autonomous driving will come, but the driver will remain focused and constantly connected with digital intelligence and state-of-the-art technology for support.

The Vision Next 100 uses a combination of carbon-fiber and plastic body panels in anticipation of a shift away from today’s conventional steel structures and associated assembly processes. BMW says steel parts may become obsolete as technologies such as rapid manufacturing and 4-dimensional printing not only produce components or objects but also intelligent and networked materials.

Future Design Envisioned

Eschewing the 1-box pod-like shapes of other recent future-looking concepts presented by its luxury-car rivals, the BMW is a conventional 3-box silhouette combining the inherent sleekness of a traditional coupe along with the 4-door practicality of a modern-day sedan, similar to the automaker’s 4- and 6-Series Gran Coupes. The Vision Next 100 also shares design influences and surface treatment with the exotic i8 sports car.

Although undeniably ultra-modern in appearance, BMW’s design team has taken inspiration from the past in certain elements of its new concept, most notably the classic kidney grille, signature Hofmeister kick in the C-pillar and L-shaped taillamps.    

But while it delves into the past for certain details, the Vision Next 100 indicates BMW is ready to jettison one of its most recognizable design features in its signature quad round headlamp treatment. It is replaced on the concept by four LED light strips,

The concept records a super-slippery drag coefficient of 0.18 due to BMW’s Alive Geometry flexible bodywork covering the wheels that allows the wheels to turn without interruption.

At 192.9 ins. (4,900 mm) long and 53.9 ins. (1,369 mm) tall, the Vision Next 100 is about the same length but 3.9 ins. (99 mm) lower than the existing 5-Series, itself set to be replaced by a more contemporary seventh-generation model later this year.

Wing doors open to reveal high-tech interior.

BMW design boss Adrian von Hooydonk says the starting point for the concept was the interior.

“Our objective was to develop a scenario that people would engage with,” says von Hooydonk. “Technology is going to make significant advances, opening up fantastic new possibilities that will allow us to offer the driver even more assistance for an even more intensive driving experience.”

Wing-style doors open automatically as the driver approaches with a smart key. To ease entry, the steering wheel retracts against the dashboard when the Vision Next 100 is parked. Once seated, a tap of the BMW emblem on the steering wheel closes doors, adjusts the steering wheel into position and adjusts the driver’s seat via digital information contained within the smart key.

As with the exterior, BMW has eschewed traditional materials within the interior, which goes completely without wood or leather for more sustainable materials, including recyclable materials.

Two Drive Modes: Boost and Ease

BMW predicts two primary driving modes for its future models: Boost, in which the driver manually operates the controls, and Ease, in which the driver relies on the autonomous properties of the car.

In Boost mode, the seat and steering wheel change positioning and the center console becomes driver-oriented. A range of intelligence, gathered by what BMW is calling Companion, is provided to support the driver when required, such as proposing turn-in points for a particular corner, advising on traffic jams or providing speed-limit warnings.

In Ease mode, the Vision Next 100 becomes a retreat. The seat, steering wheel and center console adjust to provide more space and ambient lighting is used to provide a more relaxing atmosphere while autonomous technology guides you to your destination.

The driving mode is made apparent to other road users through altering colors within with the grille, headlamp assemblies and rear lights.

Some 800 triangles make up Alive Geometry-driven interior.

BMW’s vision for the future of the car suggests high-definition digital displays will be replaced by information projected on the windshield via an oversized head-up display unit, says von Hooydonk.

BMW also has drawn on its 3-dimensional Alive Geometry process, using some 800 moving triangles in the instrument panel and door panels to enhance the interaction between the car and the driver by communicating information with intuitive signals that BMW says deliver “a form of preconscious communication that predicts an imminent real-time event.”

It sounds like science fiction, but BMW is convinced Alive Geometry will become an influencing factor in automobile interior design.