BMW is taking a different path than many of its rivals by rejecting the trend of massive, pillar-to-pillar infotainment screens. Instead, the brand believes its new Panoramic Vision display is a smarter approach that improves driver engagement. In words to the press, Stephan Durach, Senior Vice President UI/UX Development, gives us more insight into why BMW has decided to execute what appears to be a U-turn from iDrive 9 and a dashboard full of screens.
More Tech, More Engagement? BMW Thinks It’s Possible
According to Durach, the panoramic display — which stretches across the windshield just below eye level — provides a clear hierarchy of information without overwhelming or distracting the driver. “It’s not only a huge screen with a lot of information,” Durach says. “We’re really trying to prioritize and give you the right information at the right point in time, at the right location.”
It’s definitely a departure from other automakers, including rivals like Porsche and Mercedes. They, specifically, have made no effort to divert course from the industry standard of screens more or less replacing the entire dashboard. Durach goes on to say that this setup is the evolution of the brand’s long-standing philosophy of driver orientation. “We have our panoramic vision in the middle, on the line or in front of the driver, where you can really build up an information hierarchy…you don’t have to look down. It’s always in your vision.” Durach says it’s the “perfect interpretation” of a driver-engaging cockpit.
What About The Other Guys?
Where others may see bigger or more screens as progress, BMW insists that clarity and context matter more. By focusing only on the most relevant information and presenting it at the right time and place, the automaker believes Panoramic Vision enhances focus, reduces fatigue, and keeps drivers better connected to the road. “If you’re really building, you know, a huge screen in the car, pillar to pillar, then you lose completely a certain orientation for the driver,” Durach claims. In his eyes, this is what Panoramic Display does that others miss the mark on.
Durach also claims there’s a “silent mode,” that will “switch everything off.” When it comes to Panoramic Display versus traditional screens, Durach says “it’s a completely different story.” He thinks BMW’s system is far and away less distracting than screens. We’re interested to see just how minimal the Panoramic Display can get. And, at least for now, we tend to agree that less screens equates to less distractions. But we won’t know for sure until we experience it ourselves.
