BMW i Vision Dee offers ‘digital emotional experience’ for stronger bond between car and driver

MANILA: The BMW Group is presenting its vision for the future of digital experience in vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The BMW i Vision Dee is a cutting-edge midsize sedan with a new, simplified design language. “Dee” stands for Digital Emotional Experience, and that is exactly what it aims to do moving forward: forge an even closer link between individuals and their vehicles. Future digital features will be significantly more advanced than the voice control and driver assistance technologies people are accustomed to today. The entire width of the windscreen is covered by the BMW Head-Up Display, which gives a preview of the next vehicle generation. This innovation will also be available in Neue Klasse models starting in 2025. Additionally, BMW Group has improved how it applies color-change technology. The BMW iX Flow Featuring E Ink, which could switch from black to white, was introduced at last year's CES. Now, the BMW i Vision Dee can curate its exterior in up to 32 colors.

“With the BMW i Vision Dee, we are showcasing what is possible when hardware and software merge. In this way, we are able to exploit the full potential of digitalization 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. At the same time, BMW i Vision Dee is another step on the road to the Neue Klasse. With this vision, we are looking far into the future and underlining the tremendous importance of digitalization for our upcoming product generations,” BMW AG Board of Management Chairman Oliver Zipse stated.

BMW i Vision Dee helps drivers navigate both their digital environment and real-world driving conditions with its intelligent, almost human-like capabilities.

The digital highlight and primary operating control is the BMW Mixed Reality Slider in combination with the advanced Head-Up Display. Drivers can determine how much digital content they want to view on the Head-Up Display using shy-tech sensors on the instrument panel. The five selections are analog, driving-related information, communications system content, augmented reality projection, and entry into virtual worlds. Dimmable windows can likewise be used to gradually mute reality in parallel. Mixed reality may be experienced in an engaging way that stimulates many senses without the need for additional tools, adding a new level of driving enjoyment for the user.

BMW has steadily improved this technology over the past 20 years and is recognized in the automobile industry as a pioneer of the Head-Up Display. BMW i Vision Dee uses projection across the width of the windscreen to display information on the largest surface possible, which is only discernible as a display once it is turned on. In this way, BMW shows off the huge potential of projection technology, and BMW i Vision Dee envisions how an advanced Head-Up Display could also be used in the future for the display and operating concept.

Outside the vehicle, a personalized welcome scenario combining graphic elements, lighting, and sound effects kicks off the digital experience. Natural language enables clear understanding between people and their vehicles since it is the simplest, most intuitive way to communicate. The headlights and closed BMW kidney grille also combine to create a single phygital icon on a uniform surface, which allows the car to make different facial expressions. This means that BMW i Vision Dee may converse with people while also visually expressing emotions like joy, amazement, or approval. To further personalize the welcome scenario, the vehicle can also project an image of the driver's avatar onto the side window.

The BMW Group is introducing a full-color version of the E Ink technology in the BMW i Vision Dee, which will be utilized as the outer skin of the vehicle for the first time ever, following the phenomenal debut of the BMW iX Flow Featuring E Ink at CES 2022.

In order to draw attention to the digital experience and the core elements of the brand, the design of BMW i Vision Dee has been purposefully simplified. The iconic three-box sedan design that serves as the foundation of the BMW brand defines the appearance. Phygital icons are used in place of analog components in classic design aspects including the BMW kidney grille, dual circular headlights, and the Hofmeister kink. As a result, BMW i Vision Dee has a distinctively digital yet human character.

Photos from BMW

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