Luxury car leader BMW rolled out a new concept vehicle to show what the future of the connected car will look like at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. BMW’s i Vision Future displays information to the driver on three screens, including a heads-up display, a 3-D instrument cluster and a 21-inch panoramic display. Vehicle controls are accessible through Air Touch, a gesture-activated system that uses cameras to recognize hand movement so that no physical interaction with the screen surface is required. Other BMW models compensate for reduced visibility conditions by using cameras to extend rear-view mirror displays and eliminate blind spots. These innovations remain to be released in the near future, but here’s a look at some other cutting-edge luxury car features already on the market that can make long road trips more enjoyable as well as safer.
Infotainment
Infotainment, combining information and entertainment, is one of the top luxury technologies to keep in mind when shopping for a car at a local dealer or on a site such as DriveTime. Today’s leading in-vehicle infotainment systems can perform functions such as navigating to a destination using GPS data, operating a smartphone hands-free and playing a digital music connection over Bluetooth. One of the best systems on the market is Chrysler’s Uconnect, which includes an easy-to-use touchscreen, voice texting, voice-activated favorite playlists, Pandora and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.
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