CES 2016: BMW teases new Vision Car Concept

BMW has released its first teasing image of an all-new concept that’s said to sign-post the future direction of interior design for its future models.

Called the Vision Car Concept, BMW’s all-new design study is set for its official unveiling next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Instead of focusing on its exterior styling, BMW said the important part of its still-unseen concept car is its interior, which is said to include new technology and a design that will re-emerge on future production cars.

From the single teaser shot, released late last night, the concept’s interior displays the typical clean look BMW has been pushing towards for the last decade. Dominated by a huge landscape-mounted screen that’s angled towards the driver there’s a noticeable lack of buttons and even the firm’s i-Drive.

Instead, the concept’s interior comes equipped with something BMW is calling AirTouch that moves the game on from the gesture control system recently introduced on the 7 Series.

Where the current system on the luxurious limo works by reading finger movements, the new concept’s AirTouch can read simple gestures made with a flat hand.

To use, BMW claims, the sensation is similar and as intuitive as using a touchscreen on a smartphone - without any physical contact.

The advantage of the lack of touch means the screen can be sited further away, out of reach, but in the driver’s line of sight.

BMW says, to help navigate the system quickly, hand gestures are accompanied by buttons on the steering wheel for the driver (they’re mounted on the door for the passenger) as a short cut to get sub-menus.

Expect a few more teases of both the Vision Car Concept and the new i8 Spyder that BMW will also reveal ahead of their official unveilings on January 6.