BMW just unveiled the latest version of its flagship luxury sedan, and it’s packed with screens.
The German automaker introduced the 2027 BMW 7 Series this morning at concurrent events in Beijing and Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
BMW North America CEO Sebastian Mackensen said during the New York press conference that the new car takes “progressive luxury” to another level and reflects BMW’s “technology openness.”
In practice, that means a heavy dose of tech. The car comes equipped with a voice-controlled personal AI assistant with Alexa+ capabilities, roughly half a dozen displays, and features like automatic doors. The new 7 Series is the company’s first luxury sedan to incorporate BMW’s Neue Klasse platform and design language, which BMW is rolling out across its next generation of EVs.
From the outside, the 7 Series looks just like a high-end luxury car, complete with an illuminated grille and twinkling crystal headlights. Inside, buyers can outfit the interior with Merino leather and cashmere wool upholstery. And even the headrests get the luxury treatment, with accent lights BMW calls “halos,” giving the rear part of the car a cozy, high-end lounge vibe.
But what really stands out is the vehicle’s sheer number of screens.
A major highlight of the Neue Klasse tech is BMW’s Panoramic iDrive system, which gives front-seat passengers access to four different displays.
The most eye-catching is Panoramic Vision, which stretches across the entire width of the windshield. It may look like a screen embedded in the glass, but it’s actually a projection onto a blackened section of the bottom part of the windshield. On the driver’s side, the display shows key information like speed and miles driven. Additionally, above it is a 3D Head-Up Display that adds navigation cues into the driver’s field of view. Closer to the passenger side, the Panoramic Vision display shows information like the weather and time.
A 17.9-inch touchscreen sits at the center of the dashboard, something that’s become standard in modern cars, but BMW didn’t stop there. Front passengers now get their own display for music, video streaming, and even gaming.
“We talked about the difficulty nowadays to integrate those kinds of screens and surfaces into a car interior successfully,” said BMW Vice President of Design Maximilian Missoni. “In this case, this staging approach of going from level to level, depending on where you need the information, at a given point in time. In my view, this integration is very successful.”
While other automakers are starting to bring back more physical controls, BMW is trying to strike a balance between control types.
“We have the main buttons, everything customers are used to having as physical controls, directly on the first layer of the center display,” said Maximilian Huber, product manager for the 7 Series. “On the left side, you have different options that you can also customize so that you don’t miss anything.”
And don’t worry, rear passengers are getting their own screens too.
Each rear door features a smartphone-sized embedded screen that lets passengers control entertainment and climate settings. Buyers can also opt for a massive 31-inch rear “theater” display capable of 8K streaming with Dolby Atmos sound. It’s also HDMI-ready, meaning you can plug in devices like a Nintendo Switch.
There’s even a built-in camera for video calls, allowing the luxury sedan to double as a mobile office.
The 2027 7 Series will be available in two all-electric variants with an estimated driving range of over 350 miles, alongside hybrid and traditional gas-powered versions.
