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BMW’s New Concept Car Has 3 Modes: Manual Drive, Assist Mode and Autonomous Mode

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Here’s one of the coolest cars unveiled at CES 2016: BMW’s new concept car, the iVision Future Interaction.

Excitingly, the car has three modes: Manual Drive, in which the human driver controls the car like any normal car; Assist Mode, which has partially autonomous features; and Auto Mode, which BMW describes as “highly automated driving.”

The car seats two, and has a number of cool features as welBMW-iVision-Future-Interaction-concept-car-2l as the noticeable lack of certain expected features:

  • No Rearview Mirrors: Side mirrors have been replaced by a multi-camera system that BMW says cover larger viewing angles and “eliminate dangerous blind spots.” The typical in-car rearview mirror has been replaced with a 21-inch display screen that show feeds of what the multiple cameras are picking up.
  • Empty Dashboard: The in-car dashboard is practically empty, because they say the 21-inch display screen has every control you need-and can be managed by voice control, touch, or even hand gesture.
  • Gesture-Controlled Parking: Tech Insider says the driver can “wave a hand” to indicate when they want the car to pull in or out of a parking space.
  • No Doors: Noticeably, the two-seater car has no side doors and a sleek design.

There is no word on whether BMW actually plans to mass-market this car anytime in the future, however.

Read more about the iVision Future Interaction and see concept illustrations on Tech Insider.

That wasn’t the only unveiling BMW did at CES — replacing mirrors with cameras is a big passion for BMW currently. They also unveiled a mirrorless i8 concept car. See more about that on CNNMoney.

Stay tuned to DriverlessTransportation.com for more news out of CES 2016!

What do you think of the iVision Future Interaction concept car? Tell us in the comments.

CES 16: Voice-Control Your Volvo XC90 With Microsoft Band 2 Smartwatch App

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Jennifer van der Kleut

Practice your best “I’m Batman” voice - because a new partnership announcement made at CES 2016 this week is going to make you feel just like him.

Microsoft and Volvo are partnering up to offer voice-control for your car. Through the Microsoft Band 2 smartwatch-which costs $249 for consumers-2016 Volvo XC90 owners will be able to use a set of specific voice commands to do things like control the climate, navigation and starting of their cars through the “Volvo On Call” app, report news outlets like the New York Daily News and AutoBlog.

For example, on a chilly winter morning the owner of a 2016 XC90, from the warm comfort of the inside of their home, can command their Band 2 to fire up the car, blast the heat, turn on the infotainment system, and enter a destination into the navigator.

The New York Daily News reports that the technology will be available to consumers within months. It will debut on the Microsoft Band 2 first, but many expect it will be available on other wearable devices like the Apple Watch and its Android counterpart, Galaxy Gear, in the near future, based on the popularity of those devices.

Volvo has released a short video that shows the technology in action. Watch it here.