BMW 7 Series: designed to marry luxury with technology - massaging, reclining seats, a tablet, TV screens and remote driving

In a bid to rival the luxurious, high-end cars from the likes of Rolls Royce and Bentley, BMW has unveiled its next 7 series.

The car boasts a back-seat cinema, massaging seats and gesture controls so drivers can adjust the radio, for example, with a wave of their hand.

And the top-of-the-range car will also allow drivers to park the new model using a remote control, much like James Bond controlled an old BMW model in the 1997 film, Tomorrow Never Dies.



The car has a sleek carbon fibre body that makes it 190 lbs (89kg) lighter than its predecessor, hiding a more efficient V-8 engine generating 445 horsepower.

An ‘adaptive mode’ will match driving style to the route driven, so the ride will be focused on comfort on a rough country road, for example, but sporty on a smooth motorway.

But it is the interior that’s super luxurious.

Top-of-the range models can include an ‘Executive Lounge’ which BMW said ‘redefines personal well-being in a luxury car.’

In practice, this means the back seats are spacious and packed with gadgets for discerning business people.

There is automatic air conditioning, electronically adjustable seats with a massage function and TVs embedded into the front seats.

A footrest can make lounging in the back more comfortable, or more active executives can choose a ‘Vitality Programme’ massage, which gives them ‘active physical exercise,’ according to the firm.

And when they have finished working up a sweat, the rear seats can be reclined to a near-horizontal position for a power nap.

A table in between the rear seats plays host to a removable seven-inch tablet, known as the ‘Touch Command System’ that lets passengers control the radio or use it as a controller to play games and surf the net on the TVs.

Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design, said: ‘In BMW’s eyes, modern luxury is rooted in the most advanced technologies and extremely fine attention to detail.

‘This generation of the BMW 7 Series is the most luxurious, most comfortable and – all round – the best car we have ever built in this class.’

Drivers of the new model will be also able to control some of the car’s features using gestures for the first time.

Gestures are detected by sensors and can be used to control the car’s music system, including turning the volume up and down with the wave of a hand, as well as accepting or rejecting phone calls.

There is also the option of pairing a specific gesture with an individual choice of function, BMW said.  






Credit: Sarah Griffiths/Daily Mail

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