SHOW REPORT: CES BMW iDrive
It’s... CES showtime!
CES went virtual in 2021 but there was plenty of new tech on show... including flying cars Mark Bursa
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HE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
show, or just CES as it is now known, has become the place to see new car and mobility technology. Coronavirus meant this year’s show couldn’t take place, so CES morphed into a virtual event. That didn’t stop the flow of major announcements about electric vehicles, autonomous vehicle technology, in-car technology and safety systems. As well as the obligatory flying cars! Here are some of the highlights from the 2021 virtual CES.
BMW IDRIVE Twenty years after the original iDrive system was launched in the 2001 7-Series, BMW
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has unveiled a major upgrade to its in-car connectivity and infotainment system. With an extra-wide-screen display comprising two 14.9in screens side-byside, the upgraded system will appear in the forthcoming BMW iX electric car later this year. BMW describes the upgraded system as one that “bridges the gap between analogue and digital technology”, so the rotary input controller is retained alongside more developed voice and gesture input capability. The twin-screen approach is very similar to some current Mercedes models, but BMW claims the system’s true advances are in its increasing use of the Cloud, as well as 5G, which
will be integrated into the iX. This will allow greater connectivity – so more accurate traffic and route information – as well as better autonomous capabilities as the 5G system can process double the amount of data from cameras and sensors.
MERCEDES-BENZ HYPERSCREEN While BMW is going down the “floating screen” direction, Mercedes-Benz has revealed a giant integrated 56in one-piece curved touch-screen called Hyperscreen (pictured, below), which will make its debut in Mercedes’ luxury electric car, the EQ-S, later in the year. The OLED Hyperscreen takes up almost the entire width of the car’s dashboard,
FEBRUARY 2021
