With the concept car, BMW intends to introduce something like the next level of mobile connectivity. The company has already an optional feature in place called ConnectedDrive. At the Geneva show, it will show what it calls Vision ConnectedDrive which features wireless broadband interconnect – according to BMW, the cars will become “an integral part of a networked world”.

The most visible property of the two-seater roadster concept car to be presented in Geneva is the comprehensive usage of electronic displays. The instrument cluster is freely programmable; besides the usual dashboard data it will display navigation data complementing the projections generated by the head-up display. “The range and breadth of its functionality exceeds by far the display capabilities of classic cockpit instruments”, BMW promises, but a spokesperson declined to provide details.

The head-up display is the real centerpiece of the driver information system: It will deliver a three-dimensional display of information and icons which provide an optical fusion of the actual view of the road ahead with virtual content. Information is displayed either in the foreground or in the background, depending upon its relevance and the current traffic situation.

In the concept car, the passenger has its own display – not only for entertainment purposes but also in order to support the driver with additional data. An internet browser will enable the driver to evaluate information or address details for the navigation system received online and forward them to the driver's display if requested. Thus, interaction between driver and the passenger and networking with the environment reach new levels, BMW announced. “This is just a design study, not a prototype”, a BMW spokesperson explained. “We intend to illustrate what kind of driver's information systems we expect to see on the roads in the 2015 to 2020 time frame.”

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