BMW bans large, annoying interior screens?

The proliferation of minimalist vehicle interiors with key functions buried in touchscreen menus has long been a bugbear for us at CarExpert.

BMW boss Oliver Zipse seems to agree.

“Driver distraction is the number one cause of accidents, not speeding,” Mr. Zipse reportedly said at a media briefing during CES 2023. “…If you have to look down to operate your car, we think that’s a big mistake.”

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The boss of the German luxury brand said he was “absolutely convinced” that such disruptive interfaces in cars will not be a long-term technology.

“It will be gone in 10 years. Probably the regulator won’t allow it,” Mr Zipse said – interestingly, this has to be said given the ongoing rollout of advanced self-driving capabilities.

Of course, Mr Zipse’s comments were bolstered by a new concept vehicle that offers an alternative to big center screens – and one that’s no simple return to the iDrive transmission tunnel watch face as the dominant means of interface.

The BMW i Vision Dee concept, unveiled last week, was developed to preview designs and technologies destined for the automaker’s forthcoming range of electric vehicles based on its new class-leading platform.

The interior of the concept vehicle uses a pared-down design language and a huge head-up display that spans the width of the windshield, replacing a traditional touchscreen system.

The HUD concept is controlled via the steering wheel touchpads and the so-called BMW Mixed Reality Slider, with which the driver can decide how much digital content he would like to see.

“In the interior, digitization goes hand in hand with a reduced use of materials, controls and displays, so that nothing distracts from the digital experience and the new feeling of increased driving pleasure,” according to a BMW game.

“The unconventional design of the steering wheel, with its central vertical spoke, creates touchpoints that come to life when approached or touched and can be operated with a thumb movement.

“These Phygital [a portmanteau of physical and digital] Touchpoints control the selection of the content projected onto the windshield and, together with the head-up display, support the principle of ‘hands on the wheel, eyes on the road’.”

The New Class platform is scheduled to debut in 2025 in a 3 Series vehicle that will compete against the Tesla Model 3. The second vehicle is an electric SUV of size X3.

“It’s more than a vision. We will bring this innovation to the new class as early as 2025… our customers will be able to experience this completely new technology in their vehicles,” says Zipse.