With the arrival of 2022, the annual CES Electronics Consumer Show has once again opened the curtain. Last year, CES, which was held online due to the epidemic, returned to the Las Vegas Exhibition Center this year, and we were able to witness the fantastic ideas of major companies in electronic products again. As in previous years, the various exhibits of car companies are still the highlight of CES, and naturally the focus of our attention. Among them, the BMW Group has been exhibiting at CES for many consecutive years, and can make a deep impression every time. At this CES, the BMW Group also brought a total of 4 new products from the whole vehicle to the concept technology, let's take a sneak peek!
BMW cinema screen
While today's rear entertainment systems typically feature two screens behind the front seats, BMW goes a step further by placing a 31-inch oversized suspension curtain on the roof of the rear, paired with the Bowers & Wilkins 4D Diamond surround sound system, intended to give rear passengers a cinema-like viewing experience. In terms of hardware, this screen has a landscape resolution of up to 8K and a display ratio of 32:9, but can play multiple formats of 16:9, 21:9 and 32:9 at the same time, but the video source will be cropped or not full screen when the previous two ratios are played. Cleverly integrated into the car's canopy system, this screen extends from the canopy to the front seat back, and can be folded up to the roof and hidden when not in use.
The screen is touch-operated and tilted to allow rear passengers to operate it at any time, while the BMW cinema screen has undergone multiple crash tests to provide an entertaining experience while ensuring passenger safety. In terms of content, BMW is partnering with Amazon Fire TV to provide users with rich streaming entertainment content. In the future, BMW will also collaborate with local Chinese suppliers to provide an in-car entertainment experience that meets the preferences of Chinese users. In addition, according to the official disclosure, the BMW cinema screen is not a concept technology, but will soon be mass production, and it is expected that in a few months we will see it on BMW's new flagship model.
New theme mode
In 2021, BMW launched a new generation, the eighth generation of the iDrive system, followed by three in-car theme modes (My Modes): Personal, Sport and Energy Efficient. The three different theme modes have different settings in terms of display, sound, lighting, and in-vehicle equipment, which can bring users a completely different experience. At this CES, BMW once again released two new theme models, namely "Relax Mode" and "Expressive Mode".
Inspired by nature, the main color of the user interface visual design adopts a light and gentle "light cyan", emphasizing the comfortable and comfortable state, and there are two experience modes of day and night that can be chosen at will, interpreting a completely different driving experience for users. During the day, the endless sand dunes under the sunlight seem to merge with the horizon, bringing a feeling of emptiness, and at night, the dimmed lights outline the magnificent Milky Way under the brilliant stars, depicting a sense of tranquility and softness. Whether it is the sun and the city, or the brilliant galaxy, it creates a relaxing and pleasant in-car experience for users.
"Joyful Mode" has its own slogan - light up the night sky. The visual effects with great vitality and color sense collide with each other and jump out. With "Lively Yellow" as the main hue, supplemented by a dark blue tone, it is inspired by the different colors and twinkling lights of the city at night. In the harmony of the two colors, a dynamic and emotional theme mode is born. With the artistic pattern of dreamy flow, it highlights the unique expression of "joyful mode" in the overlapping and changing of each picture.
BMW's new "theme mode" goes beyond traditional user interface design to open up a multi-sensory immersive experience for users by building immersive experiences such as touch, hearing and vision. Relax and Expressive will be available in the second half of 2022, when users can get a new theme mode through the remote upgrade of the OTA. In addition, the official also said that it does not rule out the possibility of considering users to make and upload their own theme models in the future; for the theme models that become richer and richer in the future, they may be updated by means of paid subscriptions.
BMW electric vehicle sound wave simulation
With a total of five theme modes released, bmw group and film composer and Oscar winner Hans Zimmer jointly created five different driving sound effects - BMW IconicSounds Electric, to create an immersive driving experience for users, in the electric age can also allow users to experience BMW's unique driving pleasure. For example, select "Soothing Mode", the sound effect is intended to relax the driver, the vehicle will become a comfortable mobile oasis, the driver will be surrounded by a warm and relaxing sound, experience a calm and leisurely journey; "Joyful Mode", the sound effect is more focused on the emotional expression of the driver and occupants.
Outside, BMW has designed the Pedestrian Acoustic Warning Function (AVAS) to ensure safety by allowing pedestrians to perceive nearby vehicles. At the same time, BMW also hopes that the newly designed exterior sound has the characteristics that belong to BMW exclusive, and people can judge that this is a BMW model based on the sound alone, and on this basis, it provides the function of transmitting corresponding information. BMW electric vehicle sound wave simulation will be the first to be installed on the innovative BMW i4 in the first half of 2022, and will be gradually applied to more BMW electric models in the future.
E-ink
At this exhibition, BMW demonstrated the unique technology of "electronic ink" and successfully realized the one-button color change function of the body on the iX using electronic ink throughout the car. "E-ink" contains millions of transparent microcapsules, just the thickness of a single hair. Each microcapsule contains a negatively charged white pigment, as well as a positively charged black pigment. By controlling the electrodes on both sides of the microcapsule, the desired color appears on the body surface. BMW manufactures different sizes of "electronic ink" according to the pattern and the curvature of the car surface, which is then fixed to the car, and finally achieves a key change of color through the change of electrodes.
In addition, "electronic ink" not only changes the color of the body, but also helps to reduce energy consumption, providing a new direction for exploration and thinking for sustainable development. It is worth mentioning that the changeable body color is conducive to improving the comfort of the car and reducing the energy required for the electrical system. For example, the white surface can reflect more sunlight than black, if the body color is changed to a light color, the impact of strong external sunlight and high temperature on the interior of the vehicle can be reduced accordingly, and the interior such as the center console and dashboard can be prevented from overheating. In the case of lower temperatures, turning the body dark can help absorb more heat from sunlight, reduce the energy consumption required for air conditioning heating, and effectively increase the electric range.
BMW uses "e-ink" technology to continuously explore the possibilities of user personalization and sustainability. In the future, BMW's digital experience will rely on this innovative technology to more integrate reality and virtual effects, allowing users to customize the body color of their own personality to meet the needs of users to freely express their personality.
Innovative BMW iX M60
In addition to four new technologies, BMW also brought a brand new model at the 2022 CES - the iX M60, which has been listed in China at the same time, priced at 996,900 yuan. The iX M60 is BMW M's first high-performance electric SAV, which is equipped with M exclusive electric drive system, which has a cruising range of up to 566 km under the WLTP standard, a maximum output power of 619 Ps from dual motors, an acceleration of 3.8 seconds from zero to 100 km/h, and a minimum energy consumption of 21.7 kWh per 100 km/h. When the ejection start function is activated in Sport mode, the new car will generate a maximum torque of 1100 N·m, becoming the first BMW model to exceed 1000 N·m. At the same time, the new car has a maximum speed of 250km/h, which is by far the fastest pure electric mass production model of the BMW Group.
As an M model, the new car is also equipped with a number of chassis technologies, including M-exclusive tuning adaptive dual-axle air suspension and electronically controlled shock absorbers, xDrive all-wheel drive, rear axle active steering, M sports braking system, etc., bringing bmw M's signature driving experience, agility and precision. In terms of appearance, the BMW iX M60 has personalized M design elements, blue M high-performance brake calipers, BMW personalized Titan Gold exterior components and a unique high-gloss black Titan Gold M logo, every detail highlights the high-performance identity of the innovative BMW iX M60. In addition, the model can also be equipped with exclusive Titan gold 22-inch aerodynamic wheels to further enhance the recognition.
In addition, in terms of comfort and technology, the innovative BMW iX M60 has 20 BMW configurations for the first time, and comes standard with up to 35 luxurious features such as the Bowers & Wilkins 4D Diamond Surround Sound System, a Comfort Heating Kit with Infrared Heating Technology, and the Automatic Park Assist System Pro. It is worth mentioning that the automatic parking assistance system Pro equipped for the first time not only has the remote phone remote parking function, which is further expanded from 50 meters to 200 meters, but also increases the memory route function, which can store up to 10 parking paths, bmw is also one of the first luxury brands with this function.
Summary of the full text
From the whole vehicle to the new rear entertainment system to the concept technology, BMW's exhibits are still all-encompassing. At the same time, in addition to electronic ink, several other exhibits are technologies/products that have been mass-produced or will be mass-produced, which is enough to show that the BMW Group's strong technical reserves have brought rapid R&D and mass-production capabilities. Finally, we can also see from these exhibits that BMW is still committed to driving pleasure and personalized exploration in the new energy era, and the future BMW is still the BMW that can "absorb powder".