To mark its centenary year, the BMW Group has unveiled its latest concept car, the BMW Vision Next 100. The copper-colored concept is filled with the technology of the future and is a car that BMW foresees will define the company’s next few decades.

Whether you want to be in control in the driver’s seat or rather hand over control to the Vision Next 100, the choice is yours. Like the i Vision Future Interaction that BMW unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, the latest concept puts you in control in Boost mode or becomes fully autonomous in Ease mode.

Boost mode puts you in the driving seat and only provides a little bit of assistance by providing the optimal driving line, including hazards and navigation information, on the windshield. The entire windshield, by the way, is an augmented reality display that in the Vision Next 100 replaces all the normal dashboard displays.

In Ease mode, the Vision Next 100 takes over. The steering wheel retracts, the dash reconfigures and the front seats change shape allowing for better driver-passenger communication. In Ease mode, the windshield can be used for entertainment and will highlight local attractions as you are driven along. Externally, the concept’s lighting will shift hues to indicate its in Ease mode.

Another feature of the Vision Next 100, is a gemstone-like object set within the dashboard called the Companion. The feature represents the AI (Artificial Intelligence) within the concept and over time will learn a driver’s habits and needs. Eventually over time, the company says it will be able to “perform routine tasks” and “offer advice.” If you are in Ease mode, the Companion will also signal to passing pedestrians to alert them when it is safe to cross. While in Boost mode it sits flush with the dashboard.

Alive Geometry, consisting of 800 moving triangles embedded in the instrument panel and certain areas of the side panels, allows for driver-vehicle interaction. Meant to mimic a flock of birds, Alive Geometry will transform everything in your periphery and bring you subtly changing information.  

The exterior of the concept car retains its trademark BMW exterior with ‘kidney’ grille. However, the Alive Geometry technology covers the wheels with a flexible skin allowing for outstanding aerodynamics.

While the Vision Next 100 Concept will not be coming to our roads anytime soon, it does give us a clear vision of where BMW plan to head over the next few decades.

Images via: BMW Press