BMW recently unveiled a new color-changing concept car, which it says is “your portal to the digital world.” Dubbed the BMW i Vision Dee, the car was first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

With the adoption of areas like Web3, the metaverse, and broader digitalization continuing to accelerate, BMW hopes to position itself to get ahead of the curve and bring “humans and machines closer together.”

\\ hey everyone!! meet the guy that brought me here from the virtual world! // ➡️ https://t.co/gBRegHpvJP
#DEEMW #THEiVisionDee #TheUltimateCompanion pic.twitter.com/32qKLBPPlV

— BMW (@BMW) January 5, 2023

Using the brand’s E Ink technology, the vehicle features the ability to change between 32 different colors and on top of that features a digital dash called the “mixed reality slider,” which enables exactly that, mixed reality. The intention is to allow drivers to customize their experience by overlaying virtual worlds among other features.

BMW says that in combination with its advanced Head-up Display, the i Vision Dee’s mixed reality slider allows for drivers to “decide for themselves how much digital content they want to see.”

The feature comes with a five-step selection range, from analog and driving-related info to augmented-reality projection and entry into virtual worlds. The vehicle also includes settings for dimmable windows which the manufacturer says can be used to gradually fade out reality.

“With BMW i Vision Dee, we are showing how the car can be seamlessly integrated into your digital life and become a trusty companion. The vehicle itself becomes your portal to the digital world – with the driver always in control,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design, adding “implemented the right way, technology will create worthwhile experiences, make you a better driver and simply bring humans and machines closer together.”

“A BMW lives by its unparalleled digital performance. BMW i Vision Dee is about perfect integration of virtual and physical experiences,” said Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, adding “whoever excels at integrating the customer’s everyday digital worlds into the vehicle at all levels will succeed in mastering the future of car-building.”

Talks of adding augmented reality to vehicles might sound just as incomprehensible as adding digital displays to them in the 1970s but it happened nonetheless. As can be seen with other high-tech cars of this generation, the screens and their capabilities are getting bigger and better.

This could largely be because as we go into the future, self-driving AI will become sufficiently advanced and instead of a task, “driving” will be an experience.

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