Bucket Seat: Next 100

Not too long ago BMW showcased their "Vision 100" concept, it was to celebrate their 100th anniversary as well as showing the world what they had in store for the next 100 years. It was something out of the ordinary and set the automotive world in awe of what the German manufacturer had envisaged for their future. Following that, the holding company also unveiled similar concepts for their other brands they own, namely Rolls Royce and Mini. 

These concepts give us a glimpse into the future of the brands and what we can expect from them in the coming years. To explain more on how these concepts came into form, BMW Group has said it formulated six central hypotheses for individual mobility in the coming decades, based on key megatrends and future projections. 

• Mobility is becoming versatile: New forms of mobility will open up countless possibilities for people to get where they want to go. The BMW Group aims to play a part in shaping these future forms of mobility.
• Connectivity is becoming second nature: In the future, everything will be connected. The BMW Group firmly believes that digitalisation and digital intelligence are meant to serve people. That is the only way they will permanently enhance our quality of life
• Mobility is becoming tailor-made: Mobility will be increasingly flexible and tailored to individual needs. In the future, customised mobility will automatically ensure that people are able to use the best means of transport and take their preferred route to their destination. The BMW Group will offer carefully coordinated products and services to achieve this. 
• Technology is becoming human: Technologies are getting smarter. The BMW Group believes that innovations are only beneficial to humans if they are simple and user friendly. In its vision, technologies must be able to learn from and adapt to people, so that technology seems less technical and more human and familiar. 
• Energy is becoming emission-free: In the future, energy will increasingly come from renewable sources. The BMW Group has a clear vision of environmentally-compatible vehicles built using renewable energies and recycled without generating emissions. It is working towards becoming a wholly sustainable company. 
• Responsibility is becoming diverse: In the future, it will become even more important for global companies like BMW Group to take responsibility for the environment, but also for the people directly or indirectly in its sphere of activity. One aspect - concerning both the company's international workforce of more than 100 different nationalities and people connected with its various locations - sit to promote intercultural exchange and improve lives. The BMW Group already supports more than 200 environmental and social projects in over 42 countries engaging in various projects involving its associates and local communities to maximize its impact in the future.

Rolls Royce Vision Next 100 see's a futuristic self-driving car with an artificial interface called Eleanor. Something similar to Apple's Siri. Where by the occupant gives off various instructions to to her on where to go, what to do, what music you want to listen to and what temperature to set the air-conditioning on. The guy looks stunning and the door is split between a gullwing and suicide door. 

Mini's Vision Next 100 has seen the iconic car grown even bigger, there is no self driving chauffeur for this one but there is a host of gadgets, one which grabbed my attention is the personalised driving options. It senses the different drivers and changes the settings to their preferences. Which is ideally what you want if you have to share a car with someone. 

BMW Group has really gone all out and whether most of the technologies are still in development stages or just imaginations, one can be sure we will be seeing these in their cars in the not so distant future, and the future looks good!