Nope, these aren’t screengrabs from Minority Report, they are instead the BMW Group’s vision of the type of cars that your great-grandkids will be driving in 100 years’ time.
As part of BMW’s centenary celebrations it recently unveiled two new concept models, one from Rolls-Royce and one from MINI, to match the Vision Next 100 concept it unveiled earlier this year.
Both look understandably futuristic, and each comes packed with all sorts of visionary technology but still retain their respective DNA and unique characteristics.
Coachbuilt autonomous Rolls-Royce
The Roller, for example, harks back to Rolls-Royce’s earliest days with a standard chassis that can be coachbuilt to fit each customer’s tastes, with buyers able to order completely unique shapes and sizes.
It also comes with an on-board artificial intelligence named Eleanor after English actress Eleanor Thornton, the original inspiration for Rolls-Royce’s famous Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet statue.
Eleanor is able to drive the car without any driver intervention, can book and schedule appointments for its owner and, according to the BMW Group, can even give its passengers advice and pep talks.
Inside, the cabin is rather grandiosely referred to as the “Grand Sanctuary”, entered via a coachdoor and with a silk “luxurious throne” sofa, while it also features a huge LED screen for entertainment.
There’s no word on the specifics of the car’s drivetrain, but according to Rolls-Royce it’s zero emissions and features four motors in each wheel hub, meaning it’s likely electric powered.
But maybe your descendants won’t be the 22nd century equivalent of oligarchs, in which case they might prefer the funky little MINI Vision 100 concept.
MINI Vision 100 concept
It’s designed as a ride-sharing vehicle and made to imitate the likes of cloud backup systems whereby you can download your driving and setup preferences from one car into another.
The future MINI also comes with graphics projectors to make the cabin interior and the surrounding ground look however you want it, plus predictive sat-nav that knows the sort of places you like to go.
It’s fairly petite too with dimensions that mirror those of the original 1959 Mini, and has a steering column and pedals that retract into the car’s frame to swap between autonomous and human driving.
