Often described as the best driving sedan around, the BMW 3 Series easily stays ahead of the game. Now, the Bahnstormer from Bavaria has combined this driving pleasure with cutting edge technology by introducing version 7.0 of BMW’s Operating System including its new Intelligent Personal Assistant. With this amalgamation of excellent driving dynamics and futuristic tech, BMW is driving circles around the competition.
It’s the technology BMW drivers use the most, so why not make it the best there is? The new BMW Operating System 7.0 plays a leading role in optimising the control and display system of the 3 Series sedan with modern, digital functions geared precisely to the needs of the driver.
The optional BMW Live Cockpit Professional comprises consistently designed, situation-linked and customisable displays on the fully-digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 10.25-inch Control Display. For intuitive and easy operation, the driver can choose from the dispaly’s touch screen interface, the iDrive Controller, the steering wheel buttons, gesture control and voice control – ensuring a user experience that is seamless in its execution.
Making its debut in the new 3 Series is the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, an intelligent, digital character that responds to the prompt “Hey BMW”. One unique feature over other digital assistants is that drivers can give the assistant a name.
The arrival of the Intelligent Personal Assistant ensures there is always a genuine BMW professional on board. It is able to explain all sorts of different functions (“How does the High Beam Assistant work?”), provide current status information (“Is the oil level okay?”) and help answer questions (“What warning messages do I have?”).
The Intelligent Personal Assistant is, in short, the ideal co-driver and becomes particularly useful during everyday driving by responding to natural voice commands to help the driver with numerous tasks, such as enhancing productivity and on-board entertainment. The range of functions and skills available will be constantly expanded as part of regular updates, which can be carried out seamlessly on a smartphone and in-car by Remote Software Upgrade.
The BMW 3 Series Sedan has epitomised the concept of sporty driving pleasure for more than 40 years. Exuding dynamic design, agile handling, exceptional efficiency and innovative equipment features, it takes the signature characteristics of a BMW and turns the volume up several notches.
The sedan represents not only the core of the BMW 3 Series range (of which over 15 million units have now been sold worldwide) but also the heartbeat of the BMW brand. When the first 3 Series was launched in 1975, it simultaneously brought to life a new breed of car; the sports sedan concept underpinned the rise of the 3 Series to become BMW’s most successful model – a status it retains to this day.
Over the course of its six model generations to date, the 3 Series has been ranked the world’s biggest-selling premium car, led the way for high-performance powertrain and chassis technology and earned a reputation as a pioneer of technological innovations in the midsize segment.
This latest edition of the car sees BMW building on the sporting tradition of the 3 Series, whose exploits in race competition have earned it so much extra kudos. The seventh generation of the sports sedan moves the game on once again in terms of driving dynamics, not to mention premium quality and innovation.
Read more in the May 2019 issue of Fast Company SA
