In celebration of the BMW Group's centenary year, the company started developing a series of Vision Vehicles which will address the people's mobility needs for the next three decades.
Following the release of BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce Vision cars, BMW Motorrad recently revealed its futuristic Vision Next 100 concept at the “Iconic Impusles, The BMW Group Future Experience” in Los Angeles.
“The BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100 embodies the BMW Group’s vision of biking in a connected world – an analogue experience in a digital age. Motorcycling is about escaping from the everyday: the moment you straddle your bike, you are absolutely free. Your bike is The Great Escape,” said Heinrich.
Inspired by the BMW Boxer engine, its design was created in the image of the traditional BMW boxer engine consisting of a zero-emissions drive unit. The outward appearance changes in accordance to the situation such as when the bike is at rest, the power unit is compact. On the other hand, it extends outwards when the bike sets off.
The Vision Next 100 is polished in aluminum black finish with the seat, upper frame, and most of the fairings fairings built from carbon fiber.
Apart from these, it also comes with a self-balancing feature which keeps the bike upright when parked to improve rider comfort and safety. BMW claims there are also several active-safety features which predict critical situations avoiding future accidents.
The futuristic bike concept is equipped with a special virtual reality-like visor which projects information ahead of his or her eyes. It also provides a rear-facing camera which functions as a rear-view mirror.
In addition, it also has a special suit that either heats or cools in accordance to the weather. The rider's arms or legs vibrate to signal direction of an upcoming turn and inflates at high speeds to better support the rider's neck.
"Normally, when we develop a motorcycle, we tend to think 5 to 10 years in advance. On this occasion, we looked much further ahead and found the experience especially exciting. There are some very attractive prospects. I firmly believe the BMW Motorrad VISION NEXT 100 sets out a coherent future scenario for the BMW Motorrad brand," said Edgar Heinrich, head of design at BMW Motorrad.
