BMW i Vision Dee Concept
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023, BMW revealed their new i Vision Dee concept. The Dee is for Digital Emotional Experience.
Complete with colour-changing technology and a full windscreen head-up display, it’s clear that the company wants to move into a more digital direction with its cars. They don’t seem afraid of changing the design language a little bit either, as this concept car stands out amongst the current BMW models.
“BMW i Vision Dee shows what’s possible when hardware and software are combined. This allows us to exploit the full potential of digitalisation to transform the car into an intelligent companion. That is the future for automotive manufacturers – and for BMW, also: the fusion of the virtual experience with genuine driving pleasure.” – Oliver Zipse (CEO, BMW Group)
The new look of the i Vision Dee.
BMW has simplified the exterior design of the concept by choice to show off and bring more attention to the digital experience that they want to show. The company has kept what they call the classic 3-box sedan design they use in all their sedan models but with a new take on the big elements. The kidney grille expands the width of the car while the headlights have changed in shape completely.
I doubt this BMW is going to make such drastic changes in their next line of cars. But, it is an interesting point to note in this concept.
The Digital Emotional Experience.
The big features of the BMW i Vision Dee concept are the tech. The car features what BMW call a personalised welcome scenario which makes use of lights, graphics and sound to create the “Digital Emotional Experience.”
The headlights and grille form a “phygital” icon on the uniform surface to give the car different facial expressions. I feel horrible just thinking of the word “phygital” and wish BMW would stop trying to create new words. It’s supposed to be a fusion of the words physical and digital. This system can also display an avatar of the driver on the side windows.
Back in 2022, BMW showed us a concept that could change its colour from black to white. Now the E Ink technology that did that has full colour. It can even display multiple colours and change patterns.
Finally, the head-up display can project across the whole windscreen. For divers that want fewer distractions, the “mixed reality slider” will let you choose what information gets displayed.
The concept looks like a lot of fun. Personally, I think a more comprehensive head-up display would be a great feature in upcoming cars. The rest I think is all just concept show-off.
