For many years, the BMW Group has been presenting innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The mobility experience of tomorrow was also set to be the focus of the BMW Group’s presence at CES 2022. Due to the pandemic situation, the BMW Group moved all planned media activities at CES to a fully digital program livestreamed from Germany.
For the first time, CES serves as a platform for the world premiere of a new BMW model. The vehicle in question is the new BMW iX M60 (combined electricity consumption: 24.7 – 21.7 kWh/100 km* according to WLTP; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km), the most powerful variant of the BMW Group’s new technology flagship, which sets standards in the areas of user experience, operation and connectivity among others, as well as with its automated driving and parking functions. The German premium automobile manufacturer will also present a series of innovations that combine creativity and digitisation to produce great moments for the driver and passengers.The ultimate driving machine therefore literally meets the ultimate digital experience.
On the occasion of CES 2022, the BMW Group shows how innovative digital technology can be used to make the driving experience even more individual and emotionally engaging for the customers. The new My Modes, which create an immersive user experience in the interior, play a central role here. At CES, the BMW Group gives a glimpse of four new My Modes. The selection will soon be expanded to include the My Modes Expressive and Relax. In addition, Digital Art Mode presents digital art in an automobile for the first time and the Theatre Mode heralds a new era for in-car entertainment.
Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for customer, brands and sales: “At the beginning of December, we reached a milestone in our transformation and delivered the one millionth electrified vehicle. With the BMW iX M60, we are presenting the most powerful and fastest electric vehicle in our product portfolio on the occasion of this year’s CES. At the same time, we know that the digital experience is becoming more and more important for our customers. With Theatre Mode we present a spectacular in-car entertainment experience; with My Mode Digital Art, we are the first manufacturer to present digital art in an automobile.”
Just like the digital artworks on the BMW Curved Display, the drive sound also plays an important role in making the appreciation of driving pleasure the most intense it can be. The BMW Group is developing the specific soundscapes for all-electric models in collaboration with film score composer and Academy and Grammy Award winner Hans Zimmer. The partnership has produced BMW IconicSounds Electric. Another feature making its debut is Theatre Mode, BMW’s new benchmark for the in-car entertainment of the future, which transforms the rear of future BMW models into a private cinema.
The completely new personalisation possibilities being opened up by digital technology are not limited to the interior, however. The BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink is the first car in the world whose exterior colour can be changed at the touch of a button.
The immersive installation DIMENSIONS OF REAL goes even further. It heralds a new phase of digital innovation at the BMW Group.
World premiere on the occasion of CES 2022: The BMW iX M60.
The BMW Group is presenting the most recent and most powerful model variant of its new technology flagship. The BMW iX M60, which will be presented for the first time on the occasion of CES 2022, is the first performance automobile from BMW M GmbH developed from the outset for all-electric mobility. With its joint system output of 455 kW/619 PS** from two electric motors, a maximum torque of 1,015 Nm* in Sport mode or 1,100 Nm* when Launch Control is active, its electric all-wheel drive and its M specific chassis tuning, the BMW iX M60 is bringing a phenomenal performance experience to zero local emissions mobility.
The BMW iX M60 combines a vehicle concept tailored uncompromisingly for sustainability with a modern Sports Activity Vehicle design and handling characteristics boasting a thrilling level of dynamism. Thus it embodies the best of the three world of BMW i, the BMW X models and BMW M GmbH. With the modern lounge character of its generous interior and its technological highlights that also encompass the areas of automated driving, operation and connectivity, the BMW iX M60 represents a new understanding of sophisticated luxury, high performance and premium characteristics. The BMW iX M60 sprints from a standing start to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Its characteristic overall vehicle harmony neatly packages the performance as an experience that is both emotionally engaging and at the same time reliably controlled right to the limits of driving physics.
Unique moments: The new My Modes Expressive and Relax.
The BMW iX is one of the first models from BMW to already use the latest generation of the iDrive display and operating system. The new iDrive not only enables a particularly intense interaction between driver and vehicle, but also a greater personalisation of the driving experience with the new My Modes. They create unique moments that result from a combination of vehicle characteristics and interior atmosphere tailored to the particular situation. On the occasion of CES 2022, BMW will now for the first time showcase further variants of the overall user experience created in this way in the interior. With My Modes Expressive and Relax, in the future BMW customers will have additional ways of adapting the vehicle settings to the particular situation and mood.
The My Modes create a unique atmosphere. Expressive Mode. (rollout in second half of 2022)
In the new My Mode Expressive, the active driving experience is combined with a particularly emotionally engaged atmosphere in the interior. The appearance of the displays on the BMW Curved Display is characterised by expressive colours and abstract patterns. In combination with BMW IconicSounds Electric for all-electric BMW models, activating My Mode Expressive also provides an unconventional sound in the interior that reflects the driving situation particularly intensely.
In My Mode Relax, the focus is on wellness, harmony and relaxation. The graphic displays on the BMW Curved Display are inspired by natural landscapes. In all-electric models, an understated and harmonious sound backdrop is generated to match this.
Exclusive experience: BMW brings digital art into the vehicle.
Digital Art Mode, the first time in the world digital art is being used in an automotive setting, will offer a particularly exclusive driving experience. The displays on the BMW Curved Display activated with this My Mode come from a creative dialogue between the BMW Group Design and the internationally renowned Chinese multimedia artist Cao Fei.
Back in 2017 Cao Fei designed BMW Art Car #18, the first fully digitally designed vehicle in the history of this globally unique collection of mobile artworks. With the premiere for the integration of digital art in an automotive setting, she and the BMW Group are now together taking the next step in the company’s global cultural commitment. In her digital artwork created for Digital Art Mode, Cao Fei addresses the many interactions and correlations in a globalised world using light elements that are constantly changing, moving and relating to each other.
Start signal for BMW IconicSounds Electric.
BMW is intensifying the driving experience in the brand’s all-electric models with new and emotionally engaging soundscapes. On the occasion of CES 2022 the company presents BMW IconicSounds Electric, created in cooperation between the BMW Group and the Academy Award winner and film score composer Hans Zimmer.
The jointly developed driving sounds reflect the specific performance characteristics and quintessential brand attributes of an electrified BMW in a way that is both completely new and at the same time authentic. They help to make the experience of sustainable mobility and the interaction between the driver and vehicle even more intense, even more present and even more unmistakeable. In this way, the acoustic feedback to the movements of the accelerator pedal also becomes an elementary part of the driving experience in an electrically and therefore virtually noiselessly powered BMW.
The new soundscapes vary depending on the My Modes chosen by the driver. The electrified BMW M automobiles use variations of the BMW IconicSounds Electric developed specifically for them. BMW IconicSounds Electric will be available for the first time for the BMW i4 in the first half of 2022 and also for the BMW iX in the second half of 2022.
Cinema on wheels: The in-car entertainment of the future.
In addition to the new moments and soundscapes for intense driving pleasure, the BMW Group will also present an innovative concept for the individual mobility experience in the rear. On the occasion of CES 2022, the premium car manufacturer is offering the prospect of a particularly exclusive expression of My Modes in combination with the in-car entertainment system of the future. In My Mode Theatre, the rear of the interior transforms into a private cinema lounge, with the BMW Theatre Screen, a 31-inch ultra-wide display in 32:9 format, surround sound and 5G connectivity. There, passengers on the rear seats can enjoy a thrilling and luxurious cinema experience with an entertainment programme that can be selected individually on a display with a resolution of up to 8K.
Frank Weber, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development: “We develop immersive, digital experiences for sheer driving pleasure. In Theatre Mode, the rear of the interior is transformed into a private cinema lounge. With the 31 inch display, 5G connectivity, 8k resolution, surround sound and individual streaming program, an unprecedented experience is created that sets new standards in in-car entertainment.”
The BMW Group is working with Amazon to fully integrate the Fire TV experience within the Theatre Screen system – giving passengers access to a wide variety of content so they can stream videos, listen to music, and watch downloaded programs, all while on the road. A country-specific streaming offering is also in the works for customers in China.
The BMW Theatre Screen lowers elegantly from the headliner once Theatre Mode is activated. This motion is accompanied by a sound experience composed exclusively for this purpose in cooperation with Hans Zimmer. The occupants can operate the entertainment system via direct touch fields as well as via touch panels integrated in the doors.
A digital experience in the exterior: Colour changes at the push of a button.
The interior is not the only place where digital technology is creating completely new personalisation possibilities. With the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink, the BMW Group is offering the prospect of a unique technology that uses digitisation to also adapt the exterior of a vehicle to different situations and individual wishes. The surface of the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink can vary its shade at the driver’s prompting.
Frank Weber: “In the future, digital experiences will not only take place on displays. The real and the virtual will increasingly merge. With the BMW iX Flow, we are bringing the car body to life.”
Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design: “The BMW iX Flow is an advanced research and design project and a great example of the forward thinking that BMW is known for.”
The fluid colour changes are made possible by a specially developed body wrap that is tailored precisely to the contours of the all-electric Sports Activity Vehicle from BMW. When stimulated by electrical signals, the electrophoretic technology brings different colour pigments to the surface, causing the body skin to take on the desired colouration.
A digital design vision: Immersive installation DIMENSIONS OF REAL.
On the occasion of CES, the BMW Group has developed an installation to bring its future visions of digital design to life. DIMENSIONS OF REAL, conceived by DESIGNWORKS, BMW GROUP’s design innovation studio, is redefining the notion of a concept vehicle and invites people to embark on a multisensory journey. DIMENSIONS OF REAL is a purely digital format and an artful take on what is yet to come.
“BMW has always been pushing the boundaries of technology and design at the same time. We dedicate ourselves to the creation of human-centric products and experiences for all senses,” states Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design.
Virtual experience in BMW’s metaverse JOYTOPIA.
After a successful premiere during the IAA 2021, the BMW Group is once again opening its metaverse JOYTOPIA, which will virtually expand important events and cooperations of the brand for users from all over the world in the future. The immersive installation DIMENSIONS OF REAL can also be experienced in JOYTOPIA from 5 to 8 January 2022.
Moderated by Hans Zimmer, Academy Award winner, composer and curator of BMW IconicSounds Electric, JOYTOPIA visitors will traverse the completely redesigned worlds of Confidence, Calm and Joy in various dimensions and digital landscapes, whose design is inspired by the new My Modes and the flexible appearance of DIMENSIONS OF REAL.
In this way, even those users who cannot travel to Las Vegas for CES will have the opportunity to recreate the ideas, concepts and visions of the BMW Group for the mobility experience of tomorrow – directly in the browser of their smartphone, tablet or PC.
