A change is as good as a holiday, as the saying goes and one German automaker is offering a future where every drive can be a vacation to a tropical island. With the announcement of its i Vision Dee concept car, BMW has improved on its tone-shifting paint technology that was first revealed last year, now with the capability to remotely select from dozens of different colours.
Last year BMW debuted the iX Flow SUV concept car, which could change from black to white and shades of grey with specially designed exterior panels that used E Ink technology (similar to what you might find in your Kindle). Now in 2023, BMW has taken things a step further with similar panels that can now produce up to 32 different colours, which can create totally customisable shapes and designs across the body of the car.
BMW is looking to create a stronger bond between its cars and their owners, with the Dee standing for “Digital Emotional Experience” and the colour-shifting paint just one of a suite of new products designed to connect us more closely to our vehicles. These include a blending of digital and physical environments within the car called the Mixed Reality Slider, which is a five-step dashboard slider that allows you to increase the amount of digital input you see while driving.
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Step one serves up a series of analogue displays to communicate driving information, with the next steps advancing the digital information displayed on the windscreen such as augmented reality projections telling you about upcoming traffic conditions or road furniture. The fifth and final step plunges you into an entirely virtual visual experience, entirely replacing the physical world you can see through the windscreen and windows.
“With BMW i Vision Dee, we are showing how the car can be seamlessly integrated into your digital life and become a trusty companion,” said BMW Group design head Adrian van Hooydonk.
“The vehicle itself becomes your portal to the digital world – with the driver always in control.”
“Implemented the right way, technology will create worthwhile experiences, make you a better driver and simply bring humans and machines closer together.”
While still a little while away, BMW has projected that the technology will be available in its Neue Klasse cars in 2025 and beyond.
