The BMW iVision Dee
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 in Las Vegas, the BMW Group will showcase its vision of the digital experience of the future, both inside and outside the vehicle. The cutting-edge mid-size car with a new, simplified design language is the BMW I Vision Dee. 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 cars. Future digital features will be significantly more advanced than the voice control and driver assistance technologies we are accustomed to today. The entire width of the windscreen is covered by the BMW Head-Up Display, which gives a peek of the coming car generation. This innovation will be offered in NEUE KLASSE models starting in 2025. Additionally, the BMW Group has improved how it employs color-change technology. The BMW iX Flow Featuring E Ink, which could switch from black to white, was introduced at the last CES. Now, the BMW I Vision Dee can choose from up to 32 colors for the outside.
“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 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,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “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 digitalisation for our upcoming product generations.”
With its intelligent, almost human capabilities, BMW i Vision Dee accompanies drivers not only through real-life situations on the roads, but also in their digital environment.
“A BMW lives by its unparalleled digital performance. BMW i Vision Dee is about perfect integration of virtual and physical experiences,” said Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Development. “Whoever excels at integrating the customer’s everyday digital worlds into the vehicle at all levels will succeed in mastering the future of car-building.”
Voice-activated welcome scenario with physical icons
Outside the vehicle, a customized welcome scene combining visual components, lighting, and sound effects kicks off the digital experience. Natural language enables complete comprehension between people and their automobiles since it is the simplest, most intuitive type of communication. The headlights and closed BMW kidney grille also combine to create a shared phygital emblem on a uniform surface, which enables the car to make many facial emotions. This means that BMW I Vision Dee may converse with people while also visually expressing emotions like joy, amazement, or approval. To further customize the welcome scene, BMW I Vision Dee can also project an image of the driver's avatar onto the side window.
Full-colour E Ink technology debuts globally
The BMW Group is currently introducing a full-color version of the E Ink technology in the BMW I Vision Dee, which will be utilized as the outside skin of the vehicle for the first time ever in the world, following the dramatic presentation of the BMW iX Flow Featuring E Ink at CES 2022.
Instead of merely switching between black and white, the outside of the BMW I Vision Dee is now multicolored, fully flexible, and individually configurable. The body of the vehicle is covered with an ePaper coating from the BMW Group's collaborative partner, E Ink. Displays of up to 32 colors are possible.
240 E Ink segments that can be individually controlled make up the body surface of the BMW I Vision Dee. This enables the creation and variation of an almost unlimited number of designs in a matter of seconds. Together with E Ink, we created the electronic control system and the laser cutting technique used to trim the films. The BMW Group's internal engineers created the technology's adaption for curved surfaces and the animation programming, providing a type of customization that is unmatched in the global car industry.
In order to draw attention to the digital experience and the brand's DNA, the design of the 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 personality.
Inside, digitalisation goes hand in hand with reductive use of materials, operating controls and displays to ensure nothing distracts from the digital experience and the new feeling of enhanced driving pleasure. The unconventional design of the steering wheel, with its central vertical spoke, creates touchpoints that come to life when approached or touched and can be operated by moving the thumb. These phygital touchpoints control selection of the content projected onto the windscreen and, together with the Head-Up Display, thus support the principle of “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road”.
“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.”
Another significant step toward NEUE KLASSE
The BMW Group will be electric, circular, and digital in the future. The digital component of this trio is represented by BMW I Vision Dee, another step toward the NEUE KLASSE, the following vehicle generation. Over the course of 2023, the BMW Group will offer additional details and sneak peeks at the groundbreaking vehicle concept of the NEUE KLASSE.
