The BMW Group has reached the latest stage of development with the BMW iDrive system. A new home screen with clearly arranged functions offers greater ease of use on the BMW Curved Display. The system’s QuickSelect concept additionally brings an improved menu structure that takes its cues from consumer electronics devices. The new BMW iDrive system will be gradually introduced in current models over the course of 2023.
With its new graphical interface and optimized menu structure, BMW iDrive will in future focus even more squarely on interaction by using the touchscreen and natural language. The BMW Curved Display will continue to serve as the point of interaction for the multi-sensory BMW iDrive experience.
The next-generation BMW iDrive turns the home screen on the BMW Curved Display into a permanently viewable user interface. Other individually configurable graphics can also be displayed here at all times as an alternative to the navigation system’s map view.
The new zero-layer principle means that all relevant functions and information are shown on a single level, making it possible to select a desired function without having to enter a submenu first. Instead, live widgets appear in a vertical arrangement on the driver’s side of the user interface. These function icons can be selected with a swipe of the finger and also configured individually. The QuickSelect functionality makes it possible to directly select entertainment programmes, contact lists and vehicle settings, start interaction with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant or activate other menu options, all by touch. And once the relevant settings have been chosen, a quick tap on the home icon at the lower edge of the display is all it takes to return to the home screen.
The operating concept for the new BMW iDrive therefore aligns with user habits established with today’s consumer electronics devices. The new, flat menu structure makes activating functions and settings much faster and simpler. At the same time, the system goes a long way towards enriching the driving experience in a BMW. The digital content is – just like the hardware, in the form of the BMW Curved Display – designed to enhance the driver focus for which BMW is renowned. BMW iDrive provides the right information in the right place and at the right time.
The new BMW iDrive with QuickSelect is a further development of the BMW Operating System 8 fitted in current BMW models with BMW Curved Display, and is based on the latest-generation infotainment head units, which is also responsible for graphic processing.
The new BMW Operating System 8.5 will be gradually introduced in all midsize, executive and luxury model ranges from BMW. It will continue to be based on Linux and will be combined with the largest version of the BMW Curved Display.
The digital experience on the specific BMW Curved Display of the compact-class models with the new BMW Operating System 9, based on Android Open Source Project software, is being developed.
