At the beginning of this year, BMW presented its most advanced infotainment system in Las Vegas at the beginning of this year: BMW used the Idrive X. in the BMW Tech Days, which were recently held in Beijing in Beijing in Beijing in Beijing, to demonstrate exactly the opportunity to demonstrate how this global platform in the customer in China and the taste of the customers in China.
It is important first to note that the iDrive X platform itself is universal and is based on the common global software code, which underpins the next generation’s digital cockpit worldwide. However, in order to offer an intuitive and immersing experience that is really relevant to Chinese customers, BMWS have spent local user interface and user experience teams in Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing-a significant time to adapt and adapt the platform. BMW refers internally to this highly specialized design and development unit as a “Skylab team”, which is the largest interaction group of the car manufacturer outside of Munich.
The “visual cone”
One of the outstanding design principles that were unveiled during the BMW Tech days was the “visual cone”. Daisy XU, director of interaction design, described this approach as carefully the ads and controls of the cockpit, so that they naturally fall into the central field of vision of the driver. People usually see about 120 degrees peripheral, said XU: “But the really critical information drivers hang on the concentration of most of the Ab-concentrated in a much smaller 30-degree visual cone. We have designed the cockpit with this cockpit and a subtle but effective way to lead the eyes of a driver towards the street, of course.”
Key functions and apps for Chinese customers
In addition to ergonomic improvements, the Chinese Idrive X experience adds important functions that correspond directly to the local customer preferences. For example, BMW’s investigations showed that Chinese drivers prefer to prefer more and more immersed entertainment features and easier access to infotainment functions during the daily commuting functions – at lower speeds due to urban overload.
To do justice to this, the BMW -popular local streaming services such as IQIYI have integrated directly into the infotainment platform. As a result, Chinese drivers and passengers can now enjoy a cinema-like experience experience from the central infotainment screen, especially in longer periods of stop-and-go traffic or inpatient traffic, which is common in the urban environments of China.
In fact, BMW pursued an unconventional but thoughtful approach by unlocking more infotainment functions at lower speeds, which, in contrast to slow driving, was strongly due to the typical industry practice in contrast to the restriction of the characteristics. The UX designer Andrea Feng specifically emphasized this point: “Instead of locking features at low speeds – which is often the case – we have decided on greater functionality when the traffic slowed down or completely. This is a direct reaction to how driving in the cities of China really happens.”
In addition, the Skylab team from BMW paid particular attention to cultural-specific experiences. A feature that was intelligent during the event at the local media was the unique BMW approach in music playback. The new iDrive X recognizes the cultural meaning of texts and poetic traditions in China and clearly shows song texts on the panoramic song. As Feng said: “In China, the appreciation of music goes beyond the rhythm and the melody. The texts often have deeper poetic meanings, so that we have ensured that the texts are visually emphasized so that the passengers appreciate the songs completely and emotionally.”
A newly designed steering wheel
BMW also took significant steps in the cockpit hardware design for its new class models, starting with a dramatically redesigned steering wheel. In contrast to conventional BMW steering wheels, the new design spokes at 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. The steering was also carefully designed so that the drivers can easily reach for the classic 3 and 9 clock positions. The positioning of haptic keys and surfaces ensures effortless operation and holds your hands on the steering wheel, a clear ergonomic improvement that is intended to improve general user experience.
In addition, the central infotainment screen was carefully repositioned and inclined to the driver exactly 17.5 degrees. BMW has made this adjustment after the driver habits have been extensively examined to prevent critical information from being blocked by the steering wheel or the driver’s arm. “We specially angled the screen in order to maintain clear visibility,” said BMW.
The panorama display with Hud
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the iDrive X is the extensive panoramic view. This most modern function extends from A-pillars to A-pillars and takes information directly on specialized glass coated by Nano and reaches crystal clear resolution. BMW also dealt with a common problem-the visibility through polarized sunglasses, in which optical improvements are included that ensure that drivers who wear polarized lenses can clearly read all projected information, which means that a typical pain point for many drivers is removed.
One was clear at the end of the Tech workshop. BMWS thoughtful, locally cut adjustments to the new infotainment system underline the understanding of the brand for the Chinese customer base. And now more than any other iDrive system Before that, the new operating system X will offer a really appealing and culturally relevant experience that is tailored to drivers in China.
We will learn more about the unique Chinese market adjustments of the Idrive X at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show in April. So stay tuned!
