BMW is bringing its technology-laden Vision Future Luxury concept to North America,
First unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show back in April, this potentially prophetic luxury sedan will be shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance August 14.
The concept appears unchanged from when it was shown in Beijing. The styling is much more expressive than anything on current BMWs, and is rendered in weight-saving carbon fiber and aluminum.
Similar materials were used in the interior, but designers created the final shape using a process called “subtractive modeling.” Built-up layers of wood, leather, carbon fiber, and aluminum were “milled down,” as if the entire interior was machined by CNC.
The laser headlights – shared with the 2015 BMW i8 sports car – are the only parts of this car that are production ready, but the Vision Future Luxury articulates BMW’s interest in using more lightweight materials and, perhaps, adopting less-staid styling.
Those future BMWs will need to be light, because they will be loaded with technology.
The Vision Future Luxury features a suitably futuristic head up display, which projects images directly into the driver’s line of site for and augmented reality feel. Road signs, traffic hazards, or buildings can be highlighted in the real-world environment for maximum informative efficiency.
Unlike in most production cars, the passenger also gets a separate information display controlled by an iDrive rotary knob.
This displays secondary information the driver doesn’t need to see, although driver and passenger can also swipe things back and forth using a touch pad. BMW says it’s great for booking opera tickets.
Rear-seat passengers aren’t left out. The Vision Future Luxury concept features a “Rear Seat Touch Command Tablet” that streams digital media, and can control any secondary function, including anything that’s displayed to the driver and front-seat passenger.
Exactly how much of this will make it to production is unclear, but the Vision Future Luxury could influence the feel of the next 7 Series sedan, and eventually trickle down to lesser models.
