54 BMW Group Report 2024 To Our Stakeholders Combined Management Report Group Financial Statements Responsibility Statement and Auditor’s Report Remuneration Report Other Information Overview of the BMW Group INNOVATIONS AND PRODUCT TECHNOLOGIES Remaining consistently one step ahead while keeping a firm eye on the future is a core aspect of the BMW Group’s philosophy and an expression of our firm commitment to innovation. Much of 2024 was devoted to preparing for the NEUE KLASSE. The BMW Group is thus setting the course for the future. With a focus on electrification, digitalisation and sustainability, the cus- tomer experience and a new design language are at the core of the NEUE KLASSE. This advancement is also evident in the rec- ord figures for research and development expenditure and the capitalisation rate in the reporting year. New BMW Panoramic iDrive with Operating System X from 2025 The new operating system BMW Operating System X forms the basis of the new BMW Panoramic iDrive, set to be deployed ini- tially in the NEUE KLASSE from late 2025 then subsequently in all new models. The BMW Panoramic iDrive is intuitive, conven- ient, offers improved ergonomics and provides the driver with ap- propriate information depending on the situation. The newest generation of the BMW Panoramic iDrive has four central ele- ments: the BMW Panoramic Vision, the BMW 3D Head-up Dis- play, the Central Display and the multifunctional steering wheel. The Panoramic Vision projects information across the width of the entire windscreen using three integrated displays beneath the dashboard. It creates a spatial image in the driver’s field of view that can be personalised in line with individual wishes. The 3D Head-up Display offers integrated displays for navigation and automated driving for the first time. These displays provide com- plementary content and are designed for the BMW Panoramic Vision. The Central Display with matrix backlight technology fea- tures a refined menu structure and can display up to six cus- tomisable widgets. The multifunctional steering wheel is the main physical control element and provides active haptic feed- back. These four elements combined offer a reinterpretation of BMW’s typical driver-oriented focus of “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road”. BMW Operating System X represents a further development in BMW’s current operating system. It is based on an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) software stack and offers improved up- date and upgrade capability. The state-of-the-art system is scal- able and can be integrated in all vehicle segments. Digitalisation for innovation and the customer experience Digitalisation is a key element in keeping the vehicle up to date for customers long after they have taken delivery of their new au- tomobile. Since the launch of Operating System 7 in 2018, a re- mote software upgrade (RSU – i.e. updating the vehicle’s soft- ware without taking the vehicle for servicing) has been available for BMW vehicles. At the end of 2024, over nine million BMW vehicles worldwide were already fully updatable.* In other words, these vehicles can be updated in every respect, including info- tainment, the drivetrain, driver assistance, convenience and safety. Independent of RSUs, BMW ConnectedDrive upgrades also al- low additional functions, such as apps or extended navigation, to be either bought or simply booked for a specific period after the vehicle has initially been purchased. The vehicle as a digital experience The latest generation of BMW Group vehicles offers customers a maximum of interaction, infotainment and connectivity. State-of- the-art on- and off-board technologies such as 5G connectivity and cloud services make the vehicles an integral part of their us- ers’ digital lives. The comprehensive connectivity enables a whole host of digital services and functions, from smart and learning navigation to in-car gaming and video streaming. The vehicle is thus becoming another living space for its users. Software expertise at the BMW Group The BMW Group began developing its own software more than 20 years ago. Since then, the Group has expanded its network to include teams of developers at key research centres worldwide. Additional IT hubs were added to the network in the reporting year in the form of BMW TechWorks in Romania and India. ↗ Locations * The availability and contents of remote software upgrades depends on the country, model, equip- ment and software version installed.