Currently reading: Inside BMW's future 3-series
'Intelligent' tech will allow the next generation of BMW models to make big gains in ease of use

BMW is preparing a raft of new technology that will enable its future models to react ‘intelligently’ with local road conditions to allow both greater fuel efficiency as well as improving safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

BMW describes the new philosophy as “Connected Drive meets Efficient Dynamics”. The German car manufacturer expects to roll out the technology over the next few years in the new 3-series and 6-series.

Read an in-depth analysis of BMW's future tech

Connected Drive is defined by BMW engineers as “info coming into the vehicle” and “info from the vehicle” being combined to make decisions about the way the car operates.

The information coming into the vehicle will be drawn from external sensors (such as the new laser all-round parking sensors, nose-mounted camera, light and rain sensors), from car-to-car communication and also from future interconnected traffic signage and other live information — such as traffic reports — downloaded by the car from the internet.

See Autocar's exclusive rendering of the next BMW 3-series

This will be added to information being generated by the car itself, including the vehicle status, and 3D information about the sat-nav route being followed.

The new networking and intelligent drive systems are expected to be able to drive down future BMWs’ fuel consumption by as much as 15 per cent in their own right.

Read Autocar's scoop on the next BMW 3-series

Added to future improvements to Efficient Dynamics engineering, these innovations could see a new 2013-model 320d averaging around 99g/km and take a 2015 320d down to a CO2 output of just 90g/km.

Outside of fuel saving, BMW engineers have also outlined plans to allow the car of the future to communicate with the owner’s own home media and entertainment systems, as well as using smartphone apps for ‘micro-navigation’. The idea behind such apps will be, for example, helping the driver to find an airport check-in desk once he parks his car.

Hilton Holloway

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Peter Cavellini 1 November 2010

Re: Inside BMW's future 3-series

WHY?,two stories about future 3- series?.

jl4069 31 October 2010

Re: Inside BMW's future 3-series

"Wasn't this the headline story a few days ago? Guess they're just trying to stimulate the conversation on this thread, as it seemed to peter out pretty quickly...."

That is precisely what they are trying to do. And its ironic for 2 reasons...first because they want mostly just US to talk among ourselves; which rarely works because cars like these are flat boring. And second because 98% of the time the editors themselves never engage in conversation on here, let alone stimulate said. j

catnip 31 October 2010

Re: Inside BMW's future 3-series

Wasn't this the headline story a few days ago? Guess they're just trying to stimulate the conversation on this thread, as it seemed to peter out pretty quickly....