Her name is Dee and she is the perfect digital car of the future.
At least that’s the view of BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipser, who unveiled his company’s new concept vehicle at last week’s CES Tech Expo in Las Vegas.
In an entertaining keynote opening speech at CES, he introduced Dee as “the future of mobility”.
‘Meet Dee, but please don’t just call her a car,’ he said. “You will hurt her feelings. She likes to see herself as a promise, an obligation or even better as a companion. Basically, she’s saying she’s the best thing since the wheel was invented. She’s definitely not lacking in confidence.
“Dee stands for Digital Emotional Experience. Our vision is to shift the boundaries between physical and digital perception. Dee embodies the next level of human-machine interaction, a concept that cannot simply be dismissed as science fiction.”
Dee allows occupants to choose one of five levels of how real they want to perceive their surroundings – from a clear exterior view to gradually adding more virtual information until the exterior windows are dark and the windshield is a virtual display. In fact, the traditional head-up display has now spread across the entire windshield and can replace the outside view.
Zipser called it “the perfect blend of the real and virtual worlds”.
“Remember, 20 years ago we took this technology from planes to cars, hands on the wheel, eyes on the road, data right where you need it. And check out what Dee made of it today, fusing it with augmented reality capabilities.
“We can get even more creative with windshields. A redesigned advanced head-up display is just the beginning of what we think is possible. And it’s more than a vision. We’re going to bring this technology into… serious production, and you’ll see that in 2025. There are only two years left until then.”
Zipser also expanded BMW’s “Circular” production strategy.
“The future of mobility is known to be electric, circular and digital… But what exactly do these three properties mean for the car of the future? We draw a picture of it bit by bit.
“The first part is electric. More and more customers around the world are enjoying the amazing, electrifying feeling of electric mobility unleashed in the ultimate driving machine every day.
“The second part is the BMW i Vision circular. Our vision of 100% circular economy means that all the raw materials that make up a car can and will be reused. This is the future of sustainable premium mobility.
“Today we are adding the last piece of the puzzle: digital. This is perhaps the most dynamic piece of them all. Here we really see who can rethink the car from scratch.”
Zipser said he wanted to clear up a few myths or clichés.
“In-car digital leadership isn’t about who has the biggest screen, the most computing power, or who writes the most lines of code. The only thing that really matters is what the user feels and experiences, what you feel and experience when the car welcomes you…when you see your car literally looking forward to hitting the road with you, when You can no longer distinguish what is real and virtual while driving. Because we tear down the boundaries when your car transforms from a helpful assistant to a loyal companion. Because it gets to know you better every day. Sounds like more human mobility.”
