BMW reveals Vision of future 3 Series

"The electric show car hints at the future of BMW's 3 Series saloon, reinvented for a new era"

- Sean Carson

• Radical saloon shown at CES
• Focuses on digital connectivity

WITH new cars packing more tech than ever, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is increasingly becoming a major motor show for brands, and the latest to reveal a new project at CES 2023 is BMW, with its i Vision Dee concept.

The electric show car hints at the future of the 3 Series saloon, reinvented for a new era and based on BMW's Neue Klasse platform. The i Vision Dee boasts retro-themed design cues but with cutting-edge features, such as an evolution of BMW's E-Ink technology.

"Dee" stands for Digital Emotional Experience, with the aim of "creating an even stronger bond between people and their cars". Key to this, BMW says, is the Mixed Reality Slider, which uses a touch-sensitive control on the minimalist dash that allows users to determine how much digital content to mix with reality. Using the windscreen to project the full-width head-up display, stage one - "analogue" - focuses on the view ahead. Stage two features more driving-related info, while the next step brings in more data from the infotainment, allowing users to stay connected.

Stage four enhances the experience via augmented-reality projection - potentially sat-nav directions or information on visible landmarks - while the final stage is a fully immersive experience; BMW hints at "entry into virtual worlds" (see page 16 for more on BMW M division's Mixed Reality project).