What did BMW do at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that has got every tech-head talking up till now? Well, they launched a new Digital Art Mode. Starting this year, BMW models slated for release will exhibit this incredible Digital Art Mode.
CES is a convention for tech heads and other people enthusiastic about the latest technological trends. So, it's the perfect platform to launch such a stunning feature.
In Las Vegas, the host city of 2022’s CES, BMW said the Digital Art Mode will appear in the iX M60— an electric vehicle (EV). Although the iX M60 debuts in 2023, nearly everyone is eager to encounter this unique artistic expression now.
Now, let's journey through this Digital Art Mode, the implication for future BMW models, especially the iX M60.
A Chronicle Of BMW’s Art Cars
While the buzz is about a “digital” art mode and a soon-to-be-released iX M60, we can't ignore the history of art cars before it. The BMW Art Car collection holds cars that display only the finest artistic expressions. For the artists, it's a means to connect the unrelated universes of cars and art.
In 1975, American artist Alexander Calder listened to Hervé Poulain, a French racing driver, and auctioneer, and went on to paint a BMW race car. That action is today identified as the start of the BMW Art Car movement. After Calder, Frank Stella, an artist based in New York, followed suit and painted a BMW car using his signature grid-style.
Since Calder and Stella, tens of brilliant artists have applied their unique art styles to different BMW cars. In 1991, South African artist Esther Mahlangu’s Nbebele art gave the 525i a “slightly formal, but majestic look.” Most recently, Chinese artist Cao Fei’s work on the M6 GT3 is the German automaker’s pioneer Digital Art Car.
Understanding BMW’s Digital Art Mode
Now, let's interpret BMW’s newest innovation and see how it'll revolutionize car user experience. We can tell you that the Digital Art Mode is a new offering of BMW’s existing My Mode system. The idea is to complement the vehicle’s abilities with an exceptional interior layout.
While innovation seems to be BMW’s primary reason for introducing this model, there's another underlying purpose. The Digital Art Mode’s announcement and eventual release will mark 50 years of the BMW Group’s Cultural Engagement. For many years, it partnered with several artists to decorate its cars’ exteriors with rich art. Now, the art gets inside the car.
Apart from offering a different outlook on art, the new mode allows drivers to customize their preferred driver experience. This means that they can tweak functions like mood lighting, steering, and drive control to meet their current needs. They also get the chance to personalize features like the color scheme and the BMW Curved Display’s graphics.
The Brain Behind BMW’s Digital Art Mode
Remember Cao Fei, the Chinese artist whose elegant art makes the M6 GT3 fascinating to stare at? Well, the artist’s tendency for creating desirable art combined with BMW Group Design birthed this lovely art mode. Just like Fei’s 2017 digital art design was the BMW Art Car Collection’s first entry, the installation of digital art in a vehicle is another first for BMW.
Fei's artwork that birthed the Digital Art Mode is known as “Quantum Garden”. According to Fei, the work presents the driver with a rich opportunity of witnessing digital landscapes in constant improvement. To her, the work is: “a poetic collection of universes, countless atoms, nebulae, and thousands of fast-moving beams of light from the depths of the universe.”
What's The iX M60 Like?
Besides being the flagship vehicle for BMW’s Digital Art Mode, the iX M60 is an extraordinary EV that deserves focus. So, let's dig in, shall we? For starters, BMW built it to become the performance edition of the iX sports utility vehicle.
When in Sport Mode, it assures you of a modest 532 hp and 749 lb-ft of torque. Ordinarily, it boasts of a humongous 610 hp and 812 lb-ft of torque. The iX M60 is a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive (AWD) force.
For the interior design, it'll have the current iDrive display powered by the BMW Operating System 8. You'll get the chance to enjoy features like over-the-air updates and augmented reality video.
Regarding the steering wheel’s shape, don't expect the typical roundness. We can confirm that the steering wheel most likely resembles a hexagon. Plus, the bottom is flatter than usual.
The “M” in BMW’s iX M60 represents “Motorsport” and has been in existence since May 1972. The brand will soon clock 50 years, an occasion that makes this release extra special. Concerning the battery, the vehicle possesses a giant 111.5 kWh battery plus a serviceable 106.3 kWh. This battery size trumps close competitors like Tesla’s Model S (100 kWh) and Mercedes-Benz’s EQS sedan (107.8 kWh).
The iX M60 should be with us in June this year. As it debuts with a majestic Digital Art Mode and a giant battery, don't expect to buy it for cheap. It will sell for USD 106,095 upward, so prepare.