Tickle me pink: futuristic BMW changes colour at the press of a button

BMW is wowing crowds at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas with a concept car that can change colours like a chameleon.

The i Vision Dee is able to change its exterior colour to one of 32 hues, an advance on the BMW iX Flow launched at 2022’s CES which could change from black to white using “E Ink”.

The i Vision Dee — Digital Emotional Experience — also has a full-width head-up display (HUD) across its windscreen, and shares the German carmaker’s vision of a future digital experience both inside and outside the vehicle.

The aim is to create a stronger bond between people and their cars in a motoring future where digital functions will go far beyond the level of voice control and driver assistance systems we know today.

“With the BMW i Vision Dee, we are showcasing what is possible when hardware and software merge. In this way, we are able to exploit the full potential of digitalisation to transform the car into an intelligent companion,” says BMW chair Oliver Zipse.

“That is the future for automotive manufacturers — and, also, for BMW: the fusion of the virtual experience with genuine driving pleasure.”

BMW has been a trailblazer for head-up display over the past two decades and takes it to the next level in the i Vision Dee. The HUD, which extends across the full width of the concept car’s windscreen, will be introduced into BMW’s production models from 2025 onwards.

A Mixed Reality Slider, in combination with the HUD, is the central operating control of the concept car. Using sensors on the instrument panel, drivers can decide for themselves how much digital content they want to see on the HUD. The five-step selection ranges from analogue, to driving-related information, to the contents of the communications system, to augmented-reality projection, right up to entry into virtual worlds.

Occupants inside the car can also gradually fade out of reality with dimmable windows.

The digital experience starts with a personalised welcome using the headlights and the closed BMW kidney grille to produce different “facial” expressions. The car can express moods such as joy, astonishment or approval. BMW i Vision Dee can also project an image of the driver’s avatar onto the side window to further personalise the welcome scenario.

As for the colour-changing experience, the body surface of the BMW i Vision Dee is divided into 240 E Ink segments, each of which is controlled individually like a chameleon’s skin. This allows an almost infinite variety of patterns to be generated within seconds, allowing car owners to select a colour or design that suits their mood at the press of a button.

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