2016 marks the 100-year anniversary of BMW and to celebrate the occasion, they have revealed the BMW Next 100 Concept in Munich. Whilst easily identified as a BMW with classic styling cues such as the kidney grille, this is by far one of the most extravagant concepts BMW has ever conceived.
The Next 100 Concept is a creation we would normally be used to seeing in science fiction, rather than something much more tangible and close to home in a car. The entirety of the windshield, for example, is an augmented reality display and replaces the dashboard display. There is also a feature BMW are calling Alive Geometry, which comprises of 800 triangles embedded in the dash which communicate with the driver through their movements and gestures.
Also in a world where it seems every dreamt up car of the future doesn’t need a driver and are fully autonomous, the Next 100 offers the best of both worlds. Of course, an autonomous function does feature, where the steering wheel will retract and the seats will move for easier communication for occupants. In this “Ease” mode, the whole windscreen becomes an entertainment hub for the occupants. Alternatively, there is “Boost” mode, which gives the driver full control of the car and aids you by drawing the best driving line on the windshield.
In a similar fashion to the Mercedes-Benz F 015 Concept we saw last year, the Next 100 boasts a “Companion” to help the driver over time. The more the driver uses the car, the more it learns about their driving habits and can perform “routine tasks” and “offer advice” – hopefully not in a similar way as a ‘backseat driver’. In autonomous mode, it will also signal to pedestrians when it is safe to cross the road.
Obviously, most of what features in this car is far from production ready and would be very expensive to make in any sort of quantity. Luckily for BMW, they’ve dedicated it to the next 100 years of the brand, so they have a while to work that out. But it is interesting to get a glimpse into the potential future of motoring.