7th-gen 3 Series New, debuts at Paris show

THE new BMW 3 Series Saloon made its debut at the ongoing Paris Motor Show and this will be followed by the global market launch of the car from March 9 next year, says BMW. Laserlight features adaptive functionality, high beam assistant and selective beam and has a non-dazzling highbeam that extends to around 530 metres, almost double that of the full-LED headlights.

New for the 3 Series Saloon, drivers and passengers will be joined by the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, an intelligent, digital character that responds to the prompt “Hey BMW”. This will mark the start of a new era for the BMW Group in which drivers will increasingly be able to operate their car and access its functions and information simply by speaking.

BMW’s Intelligent Personal Assistant learns routines and habits, and is subsequently able to apply them in the appropriate context. The system helps the driver, learns their preferences and is familiar with their favoured settings – e.g. for the seat heating or the places they drive to frequently using the navigation system (“Take me home”).

One unique feature over other digital assistants is that drivers can give the Intelligent Personal Assistant a name (for example, “Charlie” or “Joy”) to create even greater individuality and personality.

Not only does the Intelligent Personal Assistant await the driver’s every command, it is always there to assist them and even provide casual conversation (“Hey BMW, what’s the meaning of life?”).

Familiarisation with the vehicle’s functions will be learnt and the ability to operate them as required. Saying “Hey BMW, I’m cold” will prompt the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant to adjust the temperature inside the car accordingly.

“The Intelligent Personal Assistant is the ideal co-driver and comes in particularly useful during everyday driving (“Hey BMW, look for the nearest fuel station on our route”),” says BMW.