Today marks exactly 100 years since BMW became an officially registered German automotive manufacturer. The Bavarians are celebrating this very special occasion by holding numerous festive events, including the unveilings of four stunning concept vehicles for each of its four brands — BMW, Mini, Rolls, and BMW Motorrad motorcycles. The first study in line is BMW Vision Next 100 Concept.
Instead of looking back at its history and past achievements, as many of us would perhaps expect, BMW is taking a bright look into the future with BMW Vision Next 100 Concept. According to the company, the concept combines features of a sporty coupe and dynamic elegance of a sedan, but this is not 'merely' an autonomous transport machine, it's also a highly adaptable vehicle, brilliantly responding to individual driver's changeable needs.
BMW VISION NEXT 100 uses Alive Geometry, serving as an analogue display, warning you about the incoming dangers and objects ahead, but it doesn't do it in a noisy, annoying way. Instead, Vision Next 100 alerts you by flipping the red triangle-shaped 'scales' on the dashboard.
The shapeshifting concept switches between autonomous (called Ease) and human-driven (called Boost) modes, with interior controls transforming accordingly to meet the requirements of each mode. Switching on the Boost Mode, the entire vehicle focuses on the driver, offering intelligent support to maximise the driving experience. The seat and steering wheel change position, and the centre console moves to become more strongly oriented toward the driver. As the journey proceeds, the driver can interact with the vehicle via gesture control.
Fully-automated Ease Mode makes the steering wheel and centre console retract and the headrests move to one side to create a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. The seats and door panels merge to form a single unit, allowing the driver and passengers to sit at a slight angle and communicate easily. You can relax for real, not just on paper where the technical specs are listed.
BMW presented the concept at the opening event, celebrating its 100th anniversary at the Olympic Hall in Munich. The peak of celebrations will take place between September 9th and 11th during the BMW Festival - THE NEXT HUNDRED YEARS, taking place at the Olympic Park in Munich, the BMW Museum and BMW Welt event hub.
The BMW Vision Next 100 Concept will go on "Iconic Impulses" world tour, visiting Beijing and London, where BMW's British brands Mini and Rolls-Royce will also be commemorated with concept models. The final stop of the tour will be Los Angeles, where BMW will unveil the final jubilee concept, this time for BMW Motorrad.
The anniversary will be accompanied by a wide selection of exhibitions and a special collection of 13 books, revealing details about BMW's history as well as future hopes and views regarding the Bavarian brand's future.
Check out the live stream here (live Monday, 7 March 2016 from 15:00 to 16:30 CET).