New BMW i Vision Dee is a high-tech glimpse of a next-gen 3 Series EV

By James Attwood

5 Jan 2023

The bold new BMW i Vision Dee concept car serves as a sneak preview of the radical new styling and technology of the firm’s next-generation electric vehicles.

Revealed at the CES tech show in Las Vegas, the new machine is packed with cutting-edge tech that is set to feature on the Munich firm’s future EVs, and also provides the latest glimpse at the ‘Neue Klasse’ design language that it is developing.

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BMW is set to start rolling out its Neue Klasse models from 2025 onwards, with a pledge that the future models will be electric, circular and digital. The firm has previously shown off some of its concepts for circular design – basically how it can make increased use of recycled and recyclable materials in design – with the i Vision Circular concept that was revealed back in 2019.

The i Vision Dee is intended as a follow-up to that car, and previews some of the future digital technology that BMW will employ. The clue is in the title: Dee stands for Digital Emotional Experience.

We’ll get to some of that tech in a bit, but don’t overlook the significance of the i Vision Dee’s bold design: it takes the form of a three-box saloon, which BMW says “forms the core” of its brand. So squint a bit, and we reckon you might spot bits of the future electric 3 Series in here.

It’s certainly radical, which still retaining some BMW trademarks: there’s a reimagined version of the firm’s kidney grille, circular headlights and the ‘Hofmeister kink’ on the side bodywork. But following the lead of the i Vision Circular, it’s also pegged back: the badge is carved into the bodywork, rather than a bit of metal stuck onto it, for example.

But the BMW i Vision Dee is really intended to show off some cutting-edge tech with the aim to “integrate” physical and virtual experiences. BMW boss Oliver Zipse said the car is “showcasing what is possible when hardware and software merge”, allowing the firm to “exploit the full potential of digitalisation to transform the car into an intelligent companion.”

The interior is pared down compared to current BMW models, with a design that minimises the use of materials, displays and buttons, integrating many of the functions into the dashboard and other elements. The steering wheel features a central vertical spoke that features touch-sensitive surfaces.

The key control feature is a BMW Mixed Reality Slider, which is designed to work in conjunction with an advanced head-up display to control many of the key functions of the Dee. The display stretches the entire width of the windscreen, and is intended to showcase how an advanced head-up display could be utilised in future. And we’re talking near-future here: BMW claims it will feature on production models from 2025 onwards.

The slider uses what BMW calls ‘shy-tech’ sensors on the instrument panel, and allows drivers to adjust how much content is shown on the head-up display. That ranges from basically nothing up to showing an entire ‘virtual world’, which works with digital windows that can ‘fade out reality’.

Outside the vehicle the Dee features a personalised welcome sequence that combines graphics, lights and sound. It can even project an image of the driver’s avatar onto the side window. Oh, and the headlights and closable kidney grille work together to allow the Dee to produce facial expressions and talk to you. Yes, the BMW i Vision Dee is a bit like Lightning McQueen.

BMW has massively expanded its EV line-up in recent years, but the Neue Klasse models that it will start to launch from 2025 onwards will mark the next generation, when the firm is aiming to take a major leap in terms of technology. The Neue Klass name harks back to a previous line of cars that launched back in the 1960s.