MUNICH, Nov 30 — During the press days in the run-up to the official start of the Los Angeles Auto Show, BMW has unveiled the Vision iNext concept vehicle, which it describes as the “future face of driving pleasure.”
In a first for BMW, a single electric vehicle — albeit a concept model that will never be seen on the road — has been designed to encompass all the group's strategic innovation fields: Autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification, and services.
The iNext was designed to highlight four main concepts the future automotive industry is set to be driven by: A human-centred design, the freedom of passengers to choose how they use the time spent in a vehicle, the complete and disguised integration of smart technology, and a purposefully designed innovative exterior.
On the inside, the car features a distinct “boutique” design, which is to say that the materials used, combined with the clean design lines, are reminiscent of sophisticated furniture. The interior definitely takes on a roomlike feeling, maybe more than a vehicle one; after all, it's not often that a car's interior floors are lined with wood instead of carpet.
As for the smart tech, the “Shy Tech,” it's almost completely out of sight until called upon by the driver or a passenger.
In contrast with what is seen in a lot of the trending smart tech design within contemporary vehicles, BMW says that “there is virtually no need for either screens or buttons,” for this model. It's almost hard to imagine an instrument panel not littered in buttons, dials, and levers.
This model is the latest of BMW's “project i,” a mission created in 2007 for the group to engineer sustainable transportation concept products targeted for those in urban environments.
The strategy didn't just produce concepts, though; it spawned market production of the i3 and i8, the former of which, launched in 2013, has been touted as the first legitimate iteration of the iNEXT. Therefore, this Vision model is the result of over 10 years of electric vehicle development.
A production model for the BMW iNext car is expected to "roll off the assembly line" from 2021. — AFP-Relaxnews
