By: IOL Motoring Staff
Beijing Motor Show - This imposing saloon, BMW will tell you, is the future of luxury. More specifically, though, the Vision Future Luxury concept hints at the next-generation 7-Series, which is reportedly due next year.
As BMW puts it, the concept “stands for a forward-looking fusion of exclusivity and innovation, for a driving experience that is at once emotional and exclusive.”
The large but sleek limo sits on a long wheelbase but has short overhangs and a low, set-back greenhouse.
From the front, the Vision Future Luxury concept asserts itself with a huge double kidney grille and flat, compact laser headlights that claim to set new standards in terms of brightness and intensity. A similar design theme continues at the back, where you'll find slim L-shaped taillights featuring 'organic' LEDs, with light-emitting polymer layers that are 400 times thinner than a human hair.
The cabin, of course, is where the real fun begins. Many of its lightweight components are built around the subtractive modelling principal, which means that the specific geometry and functions of an individual component are created from one and the same layered composite structure, comprising many different levels and materials. This not only lowers weight, but also makes for some rather elegant and fluid surfacing.
For ease of entry, the traditional B-pillar has been done away with as the car's carbon construction allowed for the seat frames to be integrated into the load-bearing structure.
Sink into the driver's seat and you're surrounded by a wrap-around cluster of three intermeshing displays. The driver's primary display, is what BMW calls a “contact-analogue” head up display, which allows graphics of buildings, traffic signs or hazards to be highlighted directly in the real-world view. According to BMW, “the system selectively directs the driver's attention to specific information that's particularly important at any given time.”
Passengers, in the front and back, get their own Passenger Information Display, which can convey everything from trip-related information to Luxury Concierge services - which even allow you to book your opera tickets online while on the move.
Not underestimating the importance of those riding in the back, the concept features two large, deeply contoured individual back seats, along with a retractable table, angled rear seat displays and a rear seat touch command tablet for all entertainment and functions control.