ConnectedDrive: The virtual co-driver with a seventh sense.

ConnectedDrive: The virtual co-driver with a seventh sense.

October 14, 2002 - The BMW Group is developing the seventh sense for the automobile: ConnectedDrive is a concept destined to give the motorist an even more "intelligent" and individual vehicle in the future, offering even more safety and motoring comfort. This new intelligence is created by interconnecting the "nervous systems" of the car with one another and with the world outside, in this process creating new skills and abilities. Two examples of this new intelligence already tested in a research car are, first, the process of making stop-and-go traffic easier and smoother through ConnectedDrive, with the driver able to delegate the job of constantly applying the brakes to his car, and, second, the ability to make unpredictable country roads safer particularly at night, with the active gas pedal "telling" the driver to slow down by building up increasing counter-pressure in front of tight bends.

These examples show that ConnectedDrive is not just some kind of new system, but rather an overrriding, all-round and truly convincing concept. It interconnects and supplements formerly separate modules in the areas of telematics, online services and driver assistance systems, intervening by providing the necessary support and giving the driver specific, on-demand information. You might therefore say that ConnectedDrive is a kind of virtual co-driver giving the driver the right information correctly processed at the right time. And this immediately reveals another, decisive advantage of this special concept developed by the BMW Group: The driver does not necessarily receive more information, but rather better information - ConnectedDrive makes life easier, not more difficult, for the driver.

Introducing ConnectedDrive, BMW is making a significant, far-reaching contribution to the improvement of mobility. The concept offers everything required to interconnect the needs of the environment, the optimisation of transport as a whole, the maximisation of safety on the road, and that sheer driving pleasure so typical of BMW. The latest module introduced within the concept of ConnectedDrive is a wonderful example of this far-reaching improvement: BMW Online incorporating an internet-based parking information service guides the driver to a car park where space is still available. This eliminates the usual, tedious process of looking for parking space, at the same time making life easier for the driver, helping to improve traffic conditions, and preserving the environment. ConnectedDrive also supplements the dynamic navigation process by enabling the driver to avoid traffic congestion, with the navigation system, traffic information services and the BMW Assist telematics service all interacting for this purpose in order to provide a wide range of benefits. "We wish to bring the driver out of his isolation, giving him access to all the information he finds important or desirable", states Dr Burkhard Göschel, BMW Group Board Member for Development and Purchasing: "ConnectedDrive bringing all the necessary systems and features together is the key to reaching this goal."

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