Next-Generation iDrive Coming To Neue Klasse Models In 2025

Sep. 02, 2023 4:30 AM ET byJarryd Neves Technology /Comments

If you think the latest iDrive system is impressive, the next generation will bowl you over.

BMW has announced that itsforthcoming Neue Klasse modelswill receive an entirely new iDrive system that will "transform the vehicle into digital experience space."

BMW has used the in-car communications and entertainment system since 2001, when it was introduced in the7 Seriesluxury sedan, andhas frequently updatedit to become the intuitive system it is today. BMW says the next developmental leap will be presented in 2025 with the Neue Klasse vehicles, which the automaker says will push the brand into its new era.

But it's not just the iDrive that's getting an update. A new multifunction steering wheel, central display, and 3D head-up display will debut alongside the BMW Panoramic Vision setup. These four concepts will be the cornerstone of the next-gen iDrive system and allow BMW to go in a new interior design direction.

BMW Panoramic Visionis an entirely new head-up display. The system projects relevant data and information at the ideal height for the driver across the width of the windscreen. The curved display is projected at the bottom of the windshield so as not to distract the driver and passenger.

It displays all the information a driver could reasonably want, including the current drive mode, speed, location, time, and media. The BMW i Vision Dee previewed this and several other innovative features when it wasrevealed earlier this year.

Panoramic Vision will work together with the 3D Head-Up Display. This will inform the driver of essential information related to safety assist systems or traffic guidance, using 3D animations in the driver's line of sight.

一个新的多功能方向盘让司机control the head-up display and Panoramic Vision via intuitively placed buttons that provide active haptic feedback. We're curious to see where the audio and cruise control buttons will be positioned in the Neue Klasse models.

Finally, the new central display will use matrix backlighting technology to emit a high-resolution display with bright colors and crisp images, regardless of the time of day or light conditions. The screen's shape is somewhat unusual, eschewing the traditional square/rectangular format for an angled design.

QuickSelect will remain a part of the new iDrive. In the Neue Klasse models, the system will be based on sophisticated software architecture. The smart connectivity with BMW Cloud will reportedly bring a "new dimension to the human-car interaction."

The next-generation iDrive will blow the current system out of the water, and we look forward to experiencing it in person.