BMW Vision Next 100 (2016)

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, BMW has presented a research vehicle that envisions a future where cars can adapt to different driving modes and passengers’ needs.

BMW Vision Next 100 concept car is equipped with an autonomous driving system, is dedicated to the centenary of the brand’s founding.

The prototype has two modes of operation – Boost and Ease. In the first case, the control of the car is transferred to the driver, and the projection display, which occupies the entire area of the windshield, shows information about the speed and trajectory of cornering. In addition, in case of bad weather conditions and low visibility, the screen will display information about vehicles that cross the trajectory of the Vision Next 100.

Ease mode assumes the use of autopilot. In this case, the seats are rotated so that the driver and front passenger sit facing each other, and the projection display displays the information that passengers need, including entertainment. BMW noted that it does not expect additional displays to be used in cars in the future, even as flexible screens made from organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are being developed.

The concept car also received 800 active elements of a triangular shape, which are located both on the body panels of the car and on the center console. The technology is called Alive Geometry. According to BMW, it allows you to “connect analog technology with digital.” Movable elements can, for example, indicate to the driver the direction of the next turn or report the need to change lanes due to oncoming traffic, duplicating data from the head-up display.

The BMW Vision Next 100 is also equipped with on-board electronics that can adapt to the preferences of the driver and help him drive the car. In addition, the car can receive information from other road users during autonomous driving, as well as warn pedestrians with light signals that they can cross the road.

The overall length of the prototype is 4.9 meters, and the height is 1.37 meters. Thus, the concept car is identical in length to the BMW 5-Series, but nine centimeters lower than the sedan. The drag coefficient of the Vision Next 100 is 0.18.

When creating the concept car, BMW used renewable or recyclable materials. So, for example, the carbon parts of a car are made from carbon fiber left over from the production of components for other cars.

The head of BMW Harald Krüger noted that the Vision Next 100 is the first of four prototypes united by one theme. The rest of the concept cars will be presented by the motorcycle division of the company, as well as the brands Rolls-Royce and MINI.