BMW's Vision Next 100 Concept Will Learn to Drive Just Like You

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BMW is pushing its latest creation as the incarnation of the future of mobility itself. In Munich it unveiled the BMW Vision Next 100 Concept, a gull-wing-door coupe gilded in gold paint and triangle crosshatching. It is flanked by wide, saucer-covered wheels and boasts a "windshield" that is actually an augmented reality display.

Executives at the launch said they built the car, which comes with self-driving and automatic-drive modes, because in the not-too-distant future the majority of cars "will probably be completely self-driving."

"Future mobility will connect every area of people’s lives," said Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. "That’s where we see new opportunities for premium mobility."

He means that cars in the future will be totally connected to your phone, home computer-, tech and entertainment systems, and connected to each other—and that there should be a luxury ("premium") option for just such those type of cars.

BMW's Vision Next 100 Concept comes with a "boost" mode that enhances regular driving by doing such things as projecting optimal drive lines on the windshield. An "ease" mode retracts the steering wheel, adjusts the seats, and clouds the windshield to use for entertainment. An intelligent "companion" component studies the driving style and preferences of the primary driver of the car so that it can eventually perform some daily tasks and offer advice about how best to complete others. It will also be able to communicate with humans outside the car—for example, signaling pedestrians when it is safe to cross in front of the car while it is in self-driving mode.

In the meantime, the BMW Vision Next 100 will travel from Germany to be displayed in Beijing, London, and Los Angeles over the course of the year. 

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