In an elaborate celebration for its 100th Anniversary, the BMW Group has presented three vehicles as a technology showcase, designed to look forward at the next century of motoring. The showcase features the BMW Vision 100, Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100, and now, the Mini Vision Next 100.
As with the Rolls-Royce and BMW prototypes, the Mini concept mixes environmental responsibility with futuristic technology and mobility ideas. BMW sees the Mini brand as its front runner for urban cars and small get-abouts and, with that in mind, the Mini version of the Vision Next 100 is an urban-centric design centered on an "Every Mini and my Mini" theme.
The concept takes car-sharing into consideration, with on-the-fly personalization options being feasible alongside an automated taxi-style service to drive itself to a location and drive passengers to their destination as either an automated car or with a driver.
"Mini looks to offer smart and bespoke mobility in cities that engages all the senses," explains Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. "And in the future, you might not actually have to own a vehicle to enjoy the benefits."
This "digitally mine" idea is centered on the car's unique exterior, which is a silver paint by default, but which changes according to specifications from the computer. Interior lighting also changes, tailoring itself to a user's mood or style. Both the exterior and interior can be customized by the user upon summoning the car for a ride.
As with the BMW Vision 100 concept, the Mini Next 100 concept also has an artificially intelligent system centered on a dash-mounted knob, although it's shaped as a circle rather than a gemstone. In the Mini it's called the "Cooperatizer" and goes a step further by adding community-based connections which allows connected friends to share more than just the car, but also experiences.
As an example, BMW says if one friend happens to get tickets to an art exhibition that another friend likes, it can alert that friend and coordinate the carpool automatically. This could naturally be expanded to other things, such as grocery purchase suggestions or shared rides to common workplaces or school stops.
Finally, as with the other two concepts, the Mini Vision Next 100 utilizes sustainable materials in its manufacture, and emits nothing from its tailpipe.
Source: BMW