BMW CEO: Large in-car infotainment screens will disappear

According to foreign media reports, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse believes that the current practice of automakers adding high-definition infotainment displays to car dashboards is actually a mistake and will distract drivers. However, Zipse believes this trend will be short-lived.

"Driver distraction is the main cause of accidents rather than speeding," Zipse said at CES 2023. Zipse "firmly believes" that distracting center console screens will soon be available. It will become history. "In 10 years, it will disappear. Regulators may not allow it to continue to exist."

Image source: BMW

BMW seems to be hoping Zipse's prediction comes true. At the 2023 CES show, BMW showed off the i Vision Dee concept car, which uses head-up display (HUD) technology to project information onto the windshield.

Current heads-up displays display a small field of view. The expanded field of view creates a more immersive experience and delivers critical driving information within the driver's natural line of sight, keeping the driver's attention on the road.

"With our technology, everyone in the car can see the same information, even those sitting in the back," BMW brand design chief Domagoj Dukec said at a media conference in Munich last year.

BMW's head-up display technology will make its debut on BMW's next-generation Neue Klasse vehicle starting in 2025. The two vehicles first released based on the Neue Klasse platform will be a sedan and a crossover.

Zipse says people are driving without looking at the road and are distracted by their smartphones or car screens, "and that's a big mistake." Zipse describes Neue Klasse as "a leader in design, technology design and sustainability." A giant leap forward."

Stephan Durach, head of the development department of BMW Intelligent Connected Company, said that technology should be a facilitator, not a disruptor. “When integrating technology into cars, we think about the customer experience it creates and the problems we want to solve.”

Durach also said, "We are opening up a new platform to deliver information in a more meaningful way. We want to provide consumers with the information they need and the perfect experience at the right time. This is what people want."