BMW has shown its i Vision Dee concept at the CES show in Las Vegas, offering a preview of what to expect from its models from 2025 onwards
This is the BMW i Vision Dee, an all-electric saloon that’s about the same size as the 3 Series and is crammed full of futuristic technology. The concept car is intended to offer a preview of what BMW’s cars could look like when its Neue Klasse range arrives from 2025 onwards – a new model lineup with a focus on electrification and digital technology, as well as retro-inspired yet futuristic design. The i Vision Dee is the second concept to arrive as a preview of this new approach, the first being last year’s iX Flow concept.
The i Vision Dee includes a headline E Ink feature, which allows its body panels to change colour via 240 ‘ePaper’ film segments, and introduces the BMW Mixed Reality Slider as part of a heads-up display; this allows occupants to choose how much of either projected digital information or the outside world they see though the car’s windows. The system offers a glimpse at how augmented reality could feature on future BMW cars, with the entire windscreen being used for projection and overlaying of information.
Outside, the i Vision Dee features what BMW describes as ‘deliberately pared down’ design to bring focus to the car’s technology and its key BMW styling cues. The result is a shape reminiscent of the original Neue Class cars from the 1960s, as well as the later E30-generation 3 Series; an exaggerated Hofmeister kink features at the C-pillar, while the front and rear-end treatments offer an abstract take on those older cars’ smaller grilles and lights. Large windows further exaggerate the retro-inspired look.
The car’s interior is similarly minimalist. The small-boss, single-spoke steering wheel is the focal point and offers shades of E30 in its design, but the rest of the cabin is decidedly pared-back; a lack of physical buttons is made up for by what BMW calls ‘phygital touchpoints’ which can be used to control content displayed across the windscreen. Crucially, this setup does away with a more traditional infotainment setup.
“With BMW i Vision Dee, we are showing how the car can be seamlessly integrated into your digital life and become a trusty companion. The vehicle itself becomes your portal to the digital world – with the driver always in control,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design. “Implemented the right way, technology will create worthwhile experiences, make you a better driver and simply bring humans and machines closer together.”
Chairman of the Board of Management Oliver Zipse further stressed the i Vision Dee’s significance. “With the BMW i Vision Dee, we are showcasing what is possible when hardware and software merge,” he said. “In this way, we are able to exploit the full potential of digitalisation to transform the car into an intelligent companion. That is the future for automotive manufacturers – and, also, for BMW: the fusion of the virtual experience with genuine driving pleasure.”
BMW has stated that more details about its Neue Klasse range will continue to arrive throughout this year.
