The new BMW i Vision Dee is a futuristic concept car that previews features and functionality planned for the exciting, next-generation BMW i3, due for launch in 2025.
Revealed, fittingly, at the 2023 CES technology show, the new BMW i Vision Dee is the second of three concepts that tease the firm’s next-generation cars, which it is calling Neue Klasse. These will be radically different to today’s BMW electric cars – and the BMW i Vision Dee aims to prepare us for some big changes in terms of interior tech.
The new i Vision Dee, and subsequent production BMW i3, will show how BMW takes on challengers such as the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 and Hyundai Ioniq 6, along with other long-mooted alternatives such as the Apple Car.
New BMW i Vision Dee price and release date
The BMW i Vision Dee effectively previews an electric BMW 3 Series. This, following the firm’s current naming logic, will be called i3 – and will be much larger and more upmarket than the original BMW i3 electric city car.
Prices will reflect this, too. The BMW i Vision Dee is likely to cost upwards of £50,000, with core models topping £60,000. This will bring it in line with alternatives such as the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2.
The new BMW i Vision Dee is a long way off. The Neue Klasse cars will be rolled out from 2025 onwards. That’s why it can be so bold in terms of features and appearance – and have such a genuinely concept car-like interior.
New BMW i Vision Dee: exterior and interior
The BMW i Vision Dee is the ‘digital’ preview of the 2025 BMW Neue Klasse cars (‘Dee’ stands for ‘digital emotional experience’). The BMW i Vision Circular showcased new ideas in sustainability and recyclability; a future concept will reveal BMW’s thinking in batteries and electric motors.
There are still plenty of clues in the exterior design of the new BMW i Vision Dee, though. It’s called ‘reductive design’, deliberately pared down to focus on core BMW design elements: the classic three-box saloon shape, BMW kidney grille, twin circular headlights and ‘Hofmeister kink’ in the C-pillar are all reimagined.
The new BMW i Vision Dee has slightly different proportions to today’s BMWs. The wheelbase is longer and it has a more ‘cab-forward’ appearance. Overhangs are shorter too. From some angles, it looks almost retro. Expect BMW to build on this look with the production new BMW i3.
The new BMW i Vision Dee’s digital tricks begin before you even step inside. The headlights and closed BMW kidney grille combine physical and digital elements – BMW calls it ‘phygital’ – that create animations, or ‘facial expressions’ so the car can ‘talk to people and… express moods such as joy, astonishment or approval’.
There are also digital elements built into the side of the new BMW i Vision Dee. These produce further animations and, taking inspiration from Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse dream, can project an image of the driver’s avatar onto the side window to further personalise things.
Oh, and the BMW i Vision Dee can also change colour. Using the latest BMW E Ink technology, which can switch between 32 colours, the outer skin is divided into 240 segments – each of which can be individually controlled. BMW reckons an almost infinite variety of patterns can be generated and varied within seconds. This is technology BMW is developing exhaustively; does the i Vision Dee herald the era of the colour-changing car?
Inside, the story is all about digital tech – but it doesn’t overwhelm with a mass of screens and controllers. The idea is to merge the driver with the car’s digital functionality, going beyond buttons and voice control to seamlessly combine the driver’s digital worlds into the car.
The dashboard is shorn of touchscreens entirely. Instead, information is projected onto the windscreen, via a trailblazing head-up display. The entire width of the windscreen can serve as a display – and BMW promises this tech really is coming to the Neue Klasse cars from 2025 onwards.
A key feature of the new i Vision Dee’s interior is the so-called BMW Mixed Reality Slider. There are sensors in the centre of the dashboard, which vary how much digital content is shown in the head-up display. There are five stages: analogue, driving-related information, communication information, augmented-reality projection and ‘entry into virtual worlds’. The latter will be used when the BMW i Vision Dee is parked up – and the windows can even be dimmed to ‘fade out reality’.
Functions are controlled via the steering wheel of the new BMW i Vision Dee, instead of dashboard buttons. The multi-function surfaces are ‘phygital touchpoints’ that allow drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, controlling content in the windscreen itself.
Such in-car mixed reality is another Metaverse-style feature. Good job we have three years to work out what it all means…
New BMW i Vision Dee: engines and gearboxes
The new BMW i Vision Dee is a pure electric car, with the future BMW i3 expected to run alongside a heavily updated version of today’s class-leading BMW 3 Series.
BMW hasn’t revealed any details about the underpinnings of the new BMW i Vision Dee yet – the third concept in the Neue Klasse trio will do that. It is expected to use a radical new type of circular battery cell, though, allowing more space-efficient battery integration.
This will enhance space inside the new BMW i Vision Dee concept, and help open up the interior to be super-comfortable and relaxing for passengers. It will also help reduce weight, boosting the electric driving range.
The new BMW i Vision Dee is likely to use powerful electric motors that drive all four wheels. These will give headline-grabbing power and performance figures, while optimised handling will live up to the classic ‘Ultimate driving machine’ BMW ad tagline.
Find a used BMW i4 for sale
If you can’t wait for the production version of the BMW i Vision Dee, maybe the firm’s acclaimed BMW i4 electric car fits the bill instead? Used examples are starting to appear on heycar, with prices from around £55,000. We saw a 2022 BMW i4 edrive40 M Sport, with 16,000 miles on the clock, for £56,500.
Alternatively, the ground-breaking BMW i3 can now be found for well under £20,000. We spotted a 2019 example with 25,000 miles on the clock, fitted with the useful 42kWh battery, for just over £20,000.
Looking for more new car news?
The Volkswagen ID.7 is another exciting electric car previewed at the 2023 CES technology show – and we have all the details here at heycar. The Audi Grandsphere Concept also previews what the next Audi A8 will look like, while the 2023 Hyundai Kona is a more real-world alternative: we’ve got full prices, specs and details. For all the latest news, check out our guide to new cars 2023.
The BMW i Vision Dee previews features that will be seen in the new BMW i3 – the electric 3 Series – mooted for launch around 2025. The interior is a key feature of this concept car.
BMW uses ‘i’ to reference its electric cars, and calls its concept cars ‘Vision’. ‘Dee’ stands for ‘digital emotional experience’ and underlines that this concept is more about technology than overall design.
The BMW i Vision Dee has full-colour E Ink technology. The body surface offers a fully variable colour choice, with an almost infinite variety of patterns and shades available.
Introducing the BMW i Vision Dee
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