Latest news with #BMWPanoramiciDrive
Stuff.tv
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Stuff.tv
I've seen the Slate Truck pickup and the best thing about it is there's no touchscreen
A touchscreen is great on your smartphone. In fact, unless you still hanker after a Blackberry keypad, it's hard to imagine life without one. It's the same in cars too, with touchscreen infotainment dominating today's dashboards. However, there seems to be a definite pushback against too much touchscreen tech in vehicles. It was a key point being made at the third Car Design Event 2025 event held at Munich's Drivers & Business Club this week. Users were all too ready to voice their concerns to designers about just how fed up they are with much that lives within the omnipresent infotainment screen of modern cars. Sure, there's a place for a touchscreen, but folks want good old buttons and switches too. The recently unveiled Slate Truck pickup is a prime example of this desire for minimalism. Look at the dashboard and there's no touchscreen, just a mount for your own screen of choice. It makes total sense because so many drivers just want to get behind the wheel, plug in their own system and use that, instead of picking through endless infotainment menus. Simplicity could be the secret of Slate's success and, if they can bring it to market at around $20,000 dollars that will certainly help. The other key factor is that by using our own smartphones or tablets as the 'infotainment' system, buyers can keep their vehicles up to date. Over-the-air software updates are all well and good, but many of the screens in even some of the best electric cars are going to look mighty tired and outdated in just a few years' time. Slate's approach is refreshing, even if we're not going to be able to get this Jeff Bezos-backed funky little pickup truck here in the UK for now. It starts out basic, but the buyer can create their own vehicle thanks to several core options that turn it from a pickup into an SUV. From there, the Slate can be further customised with myriad personalisation options. A neat idea. Alongside Slate, user interface and experience (UI/UX) topics were heavily featured during presentations from BMW, General Motors, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Lamborghini, Pagani, Volkswagen and even the reborn Yugo brand (remember them?). And, even if you've had your fill of touchscreen infotainment systems, it is perhaps BMW that could be about to deliver the most refreshing variation on this theme. The forthcoming BMW Panoramic iDrive, which we tried for ourselves a while ago, is a fantastic amalgam of a Panoramic Vision dashboard layout, which actually runs along the complete length of the lower windscreen, supplemented by a head-up display and, yes, a touchscreen oriented toward the driver. However, the icing on the cake is the way the new multifunction steering wheel offers lots of control right there at your fingertips. BMW says 'hands on the wheel, eyes on the road', which definitely sounds like the way to go and could make for the perfect compromise when it appears in its Neue Klasse vehicles that will arrive later this year. The Car Design Event is the brainchild of automotive journalists Jens Meiners and Des Sellmeijer. It's a unique mix of car design experts, suppliers and educational institutions plus media and influencers. And, one thing was very apparent throughout, it might be time designers start listening to consumers and bring a few more buttons back into the mix of their future creations.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BMW unveils HypersonX soundscape for Neue Klasse electric models
BMW has developed a soundscape, named HypersonX, for its all-electric Neue Klasse models which are scheduled for launch this year. Developed by the BMW Group Sound Design Studio, the HypersonX soundscape forms part of the wider BMW Panoramic iDrive concept aimed at delivering a redefined in-car experience. The HypersonX system includes 43 sound signals, with specially tailored drive sounds for both Personal Mode and Sport Mode. In a press statement, BMW said: 'The multi-dimensional spectrum adapts the sounds precisely to the driving situation at hand and, in so doing, creates an emotional interaction between the driver and their vehicle.' A newly developed control unit and the integration of BMW Operating System X support an innovative audio architecture, allowing the soundscape to adapt in real time to various driving scenarios, the company said. BMW Group Sound Design Creative Director Renzo Vitale said: 'The unique sound spectrum of HypersonX plays a major role in giving a Neue Klasse model its own, highly distinctive character acoustically. 'Through our focus on precision, warmth and lightness, we can create a direct emotional connection between the driver and their vehicle.' In designing the soundscape, BMW focused on essential sound elements inspired by natural tones and artistic structures. The audio control unit, specifically developed for the Neue Klasse, allows for an expanded dynamic range and spatial modulation of the drive sound. The BMW HypersonX sound spectrum emphasises the middle and lower frequency ranges, creating a "well-balanced" acoustic environment that, combined with intuitive operation, precise lighting effects, and 'homely' interior design. More than nine million individual sound instances were generated using a bespoke algorithm and refined into a distinct BMW acoustic signature to enhance the Neue Klasse's in-cabin experience. Last month, BMW signed an agreement with China's Alibaba group to integrate the latter's AI-powered digital cockpit platform into its forthcoming models to be sold in China. "BMW unveils HypersonX soundscape for Neue Klasse electric models" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
