BMW Vision Next 100 concept previews next 100 years

John Carey previews BMW's battle plan for its next 100 years.

BMW believes the car of the future will look... no surprise here... as if it drove out of a sci-fi movie. The Vision Next 100 concept, which could have starred in I Robot instead of the Audi that scored the role, was the centre of attention as the company celebrated a major milestone in Munich this week.

It's 100 years since the brand was born in Bavaria as a maker of aircraft engines. The Vision Next 100 was previewed to media in exactly the same place they were first made. The factory is being converted into BMW Group Classic, which will be home to the company's archives and a restoration centre.

BMW's origins are in the air but the Vision Next 100 is not a pure flight of fancy. It shows the direction BMW thinks its cars should take as it begins a second century in business.

The company seems to believe internal combustion will play a fading role in its future. The Vision Next 100 has no exhaust pipe, and company executives declined to say how it is powered.

What the four-seat concept does have is a sleek skin that stretches so its fully enclosed wheels can swivel, a foldaway steering device, an info display that can use the entire windscreen and, naturally, the ability to drive itself.

"No one can say what the next 100 years will be like," company chairman Harald Kruger told journalists, before adding that "BMW has a clear picture of the future".

Our aim is to turn every driver into a better driver. We will give the driver an intelligent co-pilot.

"If you can imagine something, you have taken the first step," said BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk when asked if something like the Vision Next 100 might some day go into production.

"Our aim is to turn every driver into a better driver. We will give the driver an intelligent co-pilot."

In what BMW labels "Boost" mode, sensors and that windscreen-wide display would help the driver go round corners faster but in perfect safety.

In "Ease" mode the steering device would disappear into the dashboard, the car drive itself and its occupants relax.

The Vision Next 100 is first in a series of forward-looking concepts the BMW Group will reveal throughout the year.

The Vision vehicles from the group's British brands, Mini and Rolls-Royce will be revealed in London in June. Venerable Rolls has never before in its long history presented a show car. In October it will be the turn of BMW Motorrad, the motorcycle division, to unveil its Vision in Los Angeles.

Munich milestones

Here are the machines BMW believes stand out in its history so far...

1923 - R32 - BMW's first motorcycle had a boxer engine and shaft drive, just like today's R bikes.

1936 - 328 - This good-looking sports car gave BMW an early taste of racing success.

1962 - 1500 - Known in Germany as the New Class, this ancestor of today's 3 Series founded BMW's reputation for sporty sedans.

1980 - R80 G/S - This all-road two-wheeler launched a segment that became hugely popular.

1999 - X5 - By making an SUV that drove like a car, BMW caught rivals napping.

2013 - i3 - Innovative electric car, with a carbon-fibre body to offset batteries' weight.

Do you think the Vision Next 100 is a good indicator of what the future might hold for cars? Tell us what you think in the comments below.