BMW iDrive denotes the complete display and operating experience, from infotainment software to displays and beyond. Initially launched in 2001, BMW iDrive has repeatedly set industry standards regarding intuitive usability.
The BMW Group presents the driving and user experience of the future at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 in Las Vegas. BMW is providing the first opportunity to experience the close-to-production version of the new BMW iDrive – complete with its centerpiece, BMW Panoramic Vision – at the event. The software underpinning it all is the new BMW Operating System X, the intelligence hub behind the new display and operating concept. With its modern, style-shaping design, the holistic system will be introduced in all new BMW models from the end of 2025.
The launch of the Neue Klasse vehicles in late 2025 marks the next step for the BMW Group with the new BMW Panoramic iDrive. With a stronger focus on driver orientation than ever before, the BMW Panoramic iDrive is the next logical enhancement of previous iDrive generations. From late 2025, it will make its way into all new BMW models, regardless of the type of drive system. The intelligent software behind the new BMW Panoramic iDrive is the BMW Operating System X.
MORE DRIVER-ORIENTED, PERSONALIZABLE
The central interface for driver-vehicle interaction consists of four key components: the BMW Panoramic Vision, the Central Display, the new multifunction steering wheel, and the new, optional BMW 3D Head-Up Display. In combination, these offer a more driver-oriented experience than ever before and take the unique BMW approach of Hands on the Wheel, Eyes on the Road to a completely new level.
The BMW Panoramic Vision projects information across the entire width of the windscreen, allowing the driver and occupants to experience an entirely new dimension of personalizable content. Close by is the Central Display with a free-cut design. Ergonomically in the ideal position right next to the steering wheel, the Central Display gets its unique color and luminosity from the Matrix Backlight technology – in any light conditions. For the first time, the optional BMW 3D Head-Up Display offers an even broader overview by projecting the navigation and assisted driving displays straight into the driver’s field of vision. Rounding off the BMW Panoramic iDrive ensemble is the new multifunction steering wheel with haptic feedback. The BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant now has enhanced capabilities: an integrated Large Language Model (LLM) enables dialogue in natural language.
The BMW Panoramic iDrive takes personalization to a new level. For the first time, users can define their own preferred driving characteristics, such as drive system and steering settings, via the My Mode Personal. They can also upload personal photos and adjust the color selection of the Ambient Light and Central Display to taste. The overall experience is further enhanced by the new “HypersonX” sound experience developed by the BMW Group Sound Design Studio. This comprises 43 sound signals and special My Modes Personal and Sport driving sounds. The multi-dimensional sound spectrum adapts the sounds to the driving situation, enabling emotional interaction between the driver and their BMW.
“Technology and customer preferences are changing more quickly than ever. The design of digital experiences and sound is playing an ever more important role… The new BMW Panoramic iDrive not only makes our vehicles smarter and more user-friendly, it also enables much more extensive personalisation, which turns every new BMW into a car that is very much the user’s own.” – Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design.
BMW OPERATING SYSTEM X
The software underpinning the display and operating concept of the BMW Panoramic iDrive is the BMW Operating System X. This state-of-the-art infotainment software enables precise and cleverly coordinated control of the interaction elements, giving the driver the right information at the right time, in the right place.
Like its predecessors, the BMW Operating System X is based on an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) software stack. Developed 100% in-house, it takes the BMW Group one step closer to digital and technological independence. Third-party content remains fully and seamlessly integrated and will continue to open up a wide range of future streaming, gaming, and infotainment offerings.
Read the full press release here.
