2023 BMW i Vision Dee concept unveiled
BMW has chosen the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show to reveal its i Vision Dee concept. The name ‘Dee’ stands for Digital Emotional Experience, and according to BMW, its aim is to create an even stronger bond between people and their cars going forward. While traditional BMW enthusiasts might find the creation somewhat questionable, the most important takeaway is that this concept car is showcasing future technology that will appear in the Neue Klasse models, which are due to launch in 2025. BMW will provide further insights and glimpses of the revolutionary vehicle concept of the Neue Klasse throughout 2023.
In the i Vision Dee, the head-up display is taken to the next level, and projection across the entire width of the windscreen allows information to be displayed on the largest possible surface – which only becomes recognisable as a display once it is activated. The standard-production version of this technology will be used in Neue Klasse models from 2025 onwards.
The Mixed Reality Slider, in combination with the advanced headup display, is the digital highlight and central operating control of the i Vision Dee. Using shy-tech sensors on the instrument panel, drivers can decide how much digital content they want to see on the advanced Head- Up Display. The five-step selection ranges from analogue to drivingrelated information, to the contents of the communications system, to augmented-reality projection, right up to entry into virtual worlds.
The styling of the i Vision Dee has been pared down to focus attention on the digital experience and the DNA of the BMW brand. The car features a classic three-box saloon design, while traditional design elements, like the BMW kidney grille, twin circular headlights and the Hofmeister kink, are reimagined, with phygital (physical plus digital) icons replacing analogue elements.
Inside, digitalisation combines with reductive use of materials, operating controls and displays. 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 your thumb. These phygital touchpoints control selection of the content projected onto the windscreen and, together with the Head-Up Display, support the principle of “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road.”
BMW has also refined its use of colour-change technology, first shown on the iX Flow at 2022’s CES. The i Vision Dee, rather than simply alternating between black and white, now showcases a multi-coloured, fully variable and individually configurable exterior. An ePaper film from the BMW Group’s cooperation partner, E Ink, is applied to the body to create this magical display of colour. Up to 32 colours can be displayed. The body surface of the car is divided into 240 E Ink segments, each of which is controlled individually. This allows an almost infinite variety of patterns to be generated and varied within seconds.