- source
- BMW
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BMW recently
unveiled an electric concept SUV, the Vision iNEXT, with plans
for the vehicle to enter the market in 2021. -
The vehicle will feature technology that includes
autonomous driving, voice control activation, single-touch
input response technology, and a projector light that can beam
out images, moving content, or interactive video graphics.
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BMW says the car will be highly automated, fully
connected, and completely emission-free. -
“The iNEXT project will provide our building blocks for
the future, from which the entire company and all of its brands
are set to benefit,” said Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board
of Management at the BMW Group.
BMW
recently unveiled an electric concept SUV, the Vision
iNEXT, with plans for the vehicle to enter the market in
2021.
The BMW Vision iNEXT is the German carmaker’s next step in
intelligent-drive development, as the car will be highly
automated, fully connected, and completely emission-free.
In a
public statement at an annual BMW General Meeting in May,
Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management
at the BMW Group said, “The iNEXT project will provide our
building blocks for the future, from which the entire company and
all of its brands are set to benefit.”
The Vision iNEXT follows the line started by BMW “i” in 2007 and
BMW “i3” from 2013, two models which used electric powertrain
technology.
More than anything, it is the three “Shy Tech” visionary
applications that will make the BMW Vision iNEXT a trailblazer in
the future development of automobiles
First, there is the Intelligent Personal Assistant, an integrated
digital world linked with smart devices that respond to voice
commands by the driver. There is also Intelligent Materials, a
single-touch functionality that allows the car to respond to
various hand or touch gestures a passenger makes upon the seats
with their fingers as if they were inputs. Finally, there is
Intelligent Beam, a projection light that beams images, moving
content, or interactive video graphics at the simple command of
the driver or passenger.
The BMW Vision iNEXT will be equipped with other impressive
aspects. Cameras will take the place of exterior mirrors, and
touch-sensitive graphics will take the place of door-handles.
iNEXT drivers can choose to either use “Boost” mode to
drive themselves or “Ease” mode to be driven by the car’s
technology. BMW says that “Boost” mode is a virtually silent
driving experience that exerts zero-emissions from the car.
While in “Ease” mode, the steering wheel retracts slightly
into the dashboard, and the display panels change into
“Exploration Mode” which allows passengers to digitally explore
activities in their surrounding environment as the car cruises
along.
“The BMW Vision iNEXT represents a new era of sheer driving
pleasure,” Krüger said in the public statement. “It underlines
the leading role Germany plays in the future of mobility.”
Let’s take a look at some photos below.
The BMW Vision iNEXT SUV is just around the corner.
- source
- BMW
The car is painted in a “Liquid Greyrose Copper,” which changed shades from warm copper to dark rose depending on the light.
- source
- BMW
Here it is in dark rose. The dynamic sculpted forms and two-box proportions with a long roofline highlight the ample space inside the passenger cabin.
- source
- BMW
The car features a long glass panel covering the roof, allowing sunlight to come in through the car, while the wide driver’s window offers an unobstructed view.
- source
- BMW
Along with super-slim headlights, the car boasts a large, interlinked double-kidney grille.
- source
- BMW
There is no traditional combustion engine inside that requires cooling, so the kidney element now serves as an “intelligence panel” housing various sensors that make the car an autonomous vehicle.
- source
- BMW
Check out the car at night! Those rear-lights glow in a really cool way.
- source
- BMW
Inside the vehicle, Vision iNEXT drivers can choose to either use “Boost” mode to drive themselves or “Ease” mode to be driven by the car’s technology.
- source
- BMW
While in “Ease” mode, the steering wheel retracts slightly into the dashboard, and the display panels change into “Exploration Mode” which allows passengers to explore their surroundings while the car drives them.
- source
- BMW
BMW boasts that “Boost” mode is a virtually silent driving experience that exerts zero-emissions from the car.
- source
- BMW
The rear compartment is modeled on a high-end living space with handwoven Enlightened Cloudburst Jacquard cloth.
- source
- BMW
The doors will be opened by touch-sensitive illuminated graphics and with no B-pillar separating the front from the back, the doors will open opposite each other.
- source
- BMW
BMW plans to release the car to the market in 2021.
- source
- BMW