On the previous day (21st), the ‘BMW Vision Driving Experience World Premiere’ was held at the BMW Experience in Shanghai. During the event, Jens Klingmann, a works driver for BMW M Motorsport, drove the high-performance test vehicle ‘BMW Vision Driving Experience’ up a steep slope. The vehicle started at the base of the slope but easily ascended a steep incline of 55 degrees, eliciting applause and cheers from the audience all around the venue.
Driver Jens Klingmann expressed his thoughts, saying, “As soon as I pressed the accelerator pedal, the power erupted. Every time I drive, my heart races,” and added, “I am delighted to successfully demonstrate the grip of BMW’s unique driving system and the dynamic stability and handling limits of BMW’s next-generation models.”
The day before, the BMW Group unveiled the ‘BMW Vision Driving Experience,’ a high-performance test vehicle, for the first time in the world at the largest motor show held in Shanghai. Inside the vehicle, an ultra-fast control computer named ‘Heart of Joy’ is installed.
The ability to climb steep slopes is thanks to this integrated driving control system, ‘Heart of Joy,’ which manages driving, braking, regenerative braking, and steering functions all at once. While the Heart of Joy was exposed in the center console of the BMW Vision Driving Experience, it is planned to be mounted invisibly within the body of the mass-produced model.
BMW’s Executive Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales, Johann Koller, stated at the event, “BMW Group introduced the most powerful prototype in brand history in Shanghai today,” adding that the BMW Vision Driving Experience provides the true joy of driving with a maximum torque of 18,000 Nm (1835.5 kg·m), offering performance comparable to that of an F1 race car, and it elicited explosive reactions from the audience.
The BMW Vision Driving Experience, purely intended for research and development, will not be mass-produced, but its exterior design faithfully reflects the design language of the BMW Vision Neue Klasse. The well-structured monocoque body, robust wheel arches, concave side surfaces (Greenhouse), and the shark-nose-shaped front represent the purist aesthetics characteristic of the Neue Klasse. BMW’s signature design elements, the kidney grille, and twin headlights, have been reinterpreted modernly to create a distinctive, powerful 3D lighting on the front.
Previously unveiled in the US with camouflage, the BMW Vision Driving Experience was finished with innovative self-luminous special paint for its Shanghai Motor Show debut. This paint uses special photosensitive pigments (light-sensitive colors) that charge in sunlight during the day and maintain sufficient brightness with minimal ambient light. In dark environments, the color changes according to the vehicle’s charge level, emitting various shades from whitish yellow to neon yellow.
Sean Green, President and CEO of BMW Group China, explained, “The BMW Group not only produces cars but also creates emotional experiences,” adding, “The BMW next-generation driving extreme concept car, equipped with a driving supercomputer, redefines the joy of smart driving with unprecedented performance.”