BMW Is Abandoning Gesture Controls

It’s been a decade since BMW introduced gesture controls. The technology debuted in 2015 with the previous-generation 7 Series (G11/G12). It has since trickled down to other models, but it’s now facing retirement. With iDrive X, the Munich-based automaker waves goodbye to gesture controls (pun intended).

At CES in Las Vegas, BMW explained why the new infotainment system won’t support the once-breakthrough tech. Its new voice control system is so advanced that you don’t have to take your hands off the steering wheel to change settings. Neue Klasse will use an evolution of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant by integrating a Large Language Model. According to Wikipedia, LLM is a “type of machine learning model designed for natural language processing tasks such as language generation.”

The next Intelligent Personal Assistant beta version is already available for testing. BMW integrated it into an X3 displayed at Amazon’s booth at CES in Las Vegas. In the first phase, the developers focus on improving the system’s ability to handle navigation-related requests via more natural language. For example, the driver can simply say, “Take me to a charging station that is close to a food store.”

However, there are other reasons why BMW is abandoning gesture controls. Internal studies revealed that owners are not using them frequently. In addition, iDrive X emphasizes the infotainment display, which will be bigger than in any other model. The supersized screen is closer to the steering wheel, improving ergonomics. Separate buttons and switches would be better, but that ship has already sailed. Thankfully, there will still be some physical controls.

Moreover, BMW’s swanky new steering wheel looks like it traveled back in time. It has capacitive-touch keys, which haven’t been well-received in other cars, especially among Volkswagen owners. We’ll have to wait and see how they work, but many owners have found them hard to use.

We’re not losing hope, though. BMW says the buttons “have a well-judged, relief-like surface, which makes them extremely easy to locate and means the driver can press them without needing to divert their gaze away from the road.” The high-tech steering wheel has keys on the right side for controlling the multimedia, while those on the left are for the safety and assistance systems.

The second-generation iX3, premiering later in 2025, will be the first BMW to integrate iDrive X with its giant center screen, pillar-to-pillar upper display, revamped steering wheel, and significantly improved voice controls. A new 3D head-up display is also coming.

First published by https://www.bmwblog.com