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Next Gen iDrive Will Feature Touchscreens and Augmented Reality

Yesterday we caught up with the first 2016 BMW G11 7 Series fitted with the new generation iDrive system and we were rather taken aback. The new system looks good and made us reflect on the possibility of adding touchscreen support to its list of characteristics. As it turns out, it might just be the case.
BMW Augmented Reality 1 photo
Photo: Bimmerpost
Usual whistleblower, Scott26, an active member of the Bimmerpost community, came forward and make some rather interesting allegations regarding the future of infotainment in BMWs.

The upcoming 7 Series model, the G11/G12 versions, will take up as much technology from the Vision Future Luxury Concept as possible without getting too close to the Rolls-Royce range. The problem is BMW has to keep them separated by quite a considerable margin so that they don’t cannibalize themselves.

While the British brand is the epitome in luxury today, the 7 Series will have to catch up to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and that won’t be an easy task. Keeping an eye on all these items, the engineers and designers have their work cut out for them.

As far as the iDrive system goes, the insider said that internet and interconnectivity is the key here, through the ConnectedDrive system. Basically, the upscale models will have more than just one display. The passenger will also have one in front of him/her. That will allow him to browse the internet, the navigation system or concierge services to find useful information.

Adapting to new environments

The car itself adapts once it enters a new city, downloading information about nearby places thanks to the installed sim card that offers internet connectivity.

The co-pilot can then search for anything of interest and send the results (be that a navigation route or anything else) to the driver’s head-up display, with a simple slide.

Then, the driver will get the new info but it won’t pop up in his field of view immediately. It will be displayed thanks to a layered design introduced for the HUD. Basically, as you approach a point of interest, the information will be projected at a closer proximity, giving you the impression that you’re actually getting closer. The closer you get, the more relevant information is displayed.

This ‘augmented’ reality is expected to make its debut on the new 7 Series but we think it will be making its way on other new models too in the future, which is absolutely great news for everyone.
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