‘You can't achieve a true leap by simply modifying existing cars’

Dr Mike Reichelt, Head of BMW Neue Klasse, talks about BMW’s next-generation panoramic display, high-performance EV, and the battery architecture that underpins the Neue Klasse

- Aspi Bhathena

Jochen Goller [Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG Customer, Brands, Sales] mentioned that advanced features like panoramic iDrive might be easier for emerging markets like India to accept compared to more mature markets. How do you balance such diverse market needs?

The starting point is to really understand each market's requirements—climate, user habits, technology preferences. We conducted design clinic studies in major markets to ensure we made no mistakes with this big user interaction leap, especially with the shift to panoramic iDrive. Our legacy is the iDrive controller, but the consumer electronics industry drove us towards touch and voice controls. We recognised that having all options as a compromise wasnt ideal. Moving major displays to the windscreen gave us a spacious, uncluttered interior and brought the controls closer to the driver. We gathered usage data from over 10 million connected cars, refining which hard versus soft keys customers actually use. This resulted in a more intuitive solution.

Can this display technology be patented, so the other brands would need to pay BMW royalties?