Mustank in Technology

With the Geneva Motor Show getting closer, auto makers have already started to tease us with the many impressive projects they are currently working on. We’ve already heard about Ferrari’s FF concept, but it is now time for another bomb to drop on the automotive world. BMW has announced that a new Vision ConnectedDrive Concept Vehicle will be showing up at the Geneva Motor Show and that it will "revolutionize driving in terms of comfort, infotainment and safety."

BMW is only offering up a few details on this concept, but judging by its name, we expect a vehicle that will include the latest car-to-car communication features.

Official BMW representatives said: "In 2011 the automobile industry is celebrating the anniversary "125 yeas of the automobile," reason enough to not only look back, but also to look forward. Connectivity is one of the key fields of tomorrow’s world. And of course, we at BMW are proud to be among the pioneers of connected driving: for example, with the first on-board internet access in 2008, the first iPod integration in 2004, or the first ultrasound-based park distance control PDC in 1991."

"2011 is also the year in which we are setting course for the future. Initial insights are already available to you now in the Future Lab from BMW Vision ConnectedDrive. Or soon right here, with an extraordinary vehicle concept, which will once again revolutionize driving in terms of comfort, infotainment and safety. Exactly as you have come to expect from BMW."

We knew that BMW had something up its sleeve when they released a teaser of their Vision ConnectedDrive Concept a few weeks ago. We just didn’t know it would be something like this. In what is their most cutting edge concept since the ground-breaking VisionEfficient Dynamics Concept from the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Vision ConnectedDrive’s design is far more than what our imaginations could have processed. Details regarding this unbelievable concept will be revealed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, but BMW was kind enough to release a bevy of images of the concept leading up to what is now going to be a highly-anticipated reveal. Check them out in the gallery!

BMW has revealed the first official video of the new ConnectedDrive Concept. And if you were having any doubts on how cool this concept is, then check this video out to erase those doubts from your head!
The new Vision ConnectedDrive Concept takes the EfficientDynamics’ design language to a new level of awesomeness. The concept is a two seater roadster that stares you straight in the face with its long bonnet stretching all the way to the windscreen. Lengthening the concept even more is a long wheelbase and a passenger compartment that sits well back. From this straight-on view, we can see the BMW kidney grilles, dual round headlights, and two large air vents. The ConnectedDrive brings over the electro- mechanical retracting doors as seen in the Z1 concept, which, as a reminder, are completely road legal when pulled back.

Shifting out attention to the back of the car finds us looking at two new large air outlets, with new rear lights in an L-design and positioned on the outside edge of the rear. The concept sits on 20-inch wheels in three dimensions design.

The interior is where it gets even more interesting as BMW has gone to great lengths to ensure a certain amount of ambiance for the cabin and its passengers. The cabin is separated into two key sections - one for the driver and one for the passenger - by a long center console. These sections are meant to completely separate the two and provide focused attention on the road. More divisions are made with three levels of technology - comfort, Infotainment and safety - that are distinguished by fiber optics in various colors. These three sections integrate the appropriate functionality, operating panels, and displays of the vehicle.

The three sections are not only discerned by color, but also by rhythm, motion, and texture. The first layer is for safety and shows itself in a red color which flows to the front of the vehicle to represent safety-specific information and the driver’s focus on the road ahead. The second layer is for infotainment and displays itself in a "blue ribbon of light" stretching into the passenger side. This layer is said to promote active social exchange between the driver and passenger. The final layer is green and represents comfort. n It is supposed to concentrate on the interaction of the vehicle with the world around it. The emphasis is on the outside of the vehicle, starting and ending with the two antennas, in place of wing mirrors, providing the data link to the surrounding environment.

BMW hasn’t revealed any technical specification for the new concept just yet, but it will most likely be a hybrid or an electric vehicle. Official details will be revealed on March 1st.