BMW i Vision Dee had its official debut at CES 2023 and was featured at BMW’s CES Keynote speech from Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW.
Dee stands for Digital Emotional Experience and aims to “create an even stronger bond between people and their cars.”
“With the BMW i Vision Dee, we are showcasing what is possible when hardware and software merge. In this way, we are able to exploit the full potential of digitalization to transform the car into an intelligent companion. That is the future for automotive manufacturers and, also, for BMW: the fusion of the virtual experience with genuine driving pleasure,” said Zipse.
concept’s body is divided into 240 E Ink segments which can be controlled individually. 32 colors across the spectrum can be displayed in total by drawing on a small, yet unique voltage to create shades from a color palette used in traditional printing.
BMW has called its fusion of physical and digital elements a “phygital” treatment. This is evident in Dee’s headlights and grille which is like a “face” with a virtual voice. BMW describes the treatment as a “phygital icon on a uniform surface, allowing the vehicle to produce different facial expressions.”
Add to this the way the car can talk to people, whilst simultaneously projecting an image of the driver’s avatar on the side windows.
While getting into the car, you catch the i Vision Dee’s key focus, called the ‘Mixed Reality Slider.’ It is a head-up display (HUD) that stretches across Dee’s entire windshield.
The driver has access to a huge display of essential information without taking their eyes off the road ahead. Drivers can also easily customize what they choose to see due to the “shy tech” sensors on the instrument panel.
Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW Group design director, told Wired: “Augmented reality is something that’s not just interesting, but actually helpful for driver orientation. You can focus on the road ahead of you, and the information you need will be seemingly projected onto the road. What we’re showing in this Vision car is a new technology that allows you to use the entire width of the windscreen.”
If you put your fingers near the door panel, a virtual switch appears for you to press, and disappears when you move your hand away.
The i Vision Dee is an electric concept. Along with the full-width head-up display and it is part of BMW’s Neue Klasse architecture that will “bring humans and machines closer together”. The HUD will come to production cars that ride on the company’s Neue Klasse electric platform in 2025.