BMW expands its active safety features with the “New Class.”
Image: BMW
With the launch of the electric vehicle platform “Neue Klasse” and its technologies suitable for other powertrains as well, BMW is adding active safety assistance systems to the standard equipment of several model series. The iX3 was the first model from the Neue Klasse to receive these systems, with the i3, X5, 7 Series, and other models following soon after.
The assistance systems support drivers in critical driving, parking, and exiting situations. BMW cites data analyses of an intelligently connected fleet of vehicles in Europe, which covered 1.6 billion kilometers last month alone: Customers were warned visually and audibly about potential collisions around eight million times, and in 243,977 cases, the assistance functions actively intervened with steering or braking. Development lead Mihiar Ayoubi describes these functions as “silent, intelligent companions in the background — unobtrusive but effective when it counts in critical situations.”
"BMW Symbiotic Drive" is designed to improve the interaction between the driver and assistance systems, taking into account factors such as steering behavior and gaze direction. The lane-keeping assistant warns and corrects the vehicle only when it detects unintentional lane departure or an impending collision. It does not intervene during deliberately initiated maneuvers unless a collision or loss of control is likely.
You are currently viewing placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the "Unlock Content" button. Please note that this process involves transmitting data to third parties.
More Information
The upgraded exit warning system uses side radars to monitor the traffic area around the stationary vehicle and detects approaching vehicles, bicycles, or other road users. When a collision risk is detected, the electronic door lock delays opening the door until the danger has passed.
Additional features include an emergency steering assist that can automatically navigate around obstacles within the own lane or avoid collisions from the side, as well as an emergency braking assistant with evasion support. The attention assist with emergency stop can temporarily take control of the vehicle if driving incapacity is detected, bringing it to a controlled stop, activating the hazard lights, and triggering an eCall. For parking and maneuvering, functions such as Active Park Distance Control, a rear emergency braking system, and a start-up monitoring feature can be utilized.
The current driving situation and detected objects are displayed through the improved Assisted View in BMW Operating System X on the central display, in Panoramic Vision, or optionally on the 3D Head-Up Display. In the iX3 and subsequent models, new active safety features as well as automated driving and parking functions operate together via the central “Superbrain of Automated Driving.” According to BMW, this water-cooled high-performance computer has approximately 20 times more computing power than the previous system.
Also interesting
About the author
Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with professional experience in the automotive and financial industries. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.
Reader interactions