Throughout the history of the automobile, the steering wheel has assumed many shapes and forms. It used to be big, small, square (do you remember the Austin Allegro?) and it has not been rare for it to have a flat background. Now, it will take on a new format in the BMW iNEXT.
In BMW's future electric SUV, the steering wheel has abandoned the round shape it normally presents to adopt a shape… polygonal. Confirmation came through a teaser revealed by the brand where you can see the “peculiar” shape of the steering wheel of the future model (highlighted image).
This was the second time that BMW revealed a detail of the iNEXT interior, earlier this year the Bavarian brand had revealed a teaser where it showed the curved instrument panel with which it will equip the model.
Autonomous driving justifies the new steering wheel
Inspired by BMW competition models, the steering wheel used in iNEXT has flat areas at the top and bottom. According to BMW, the new steering wheel is designed to allow the driver to easily switch between autonomous and manual driving modes.
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The polygonal shape of the steering wheel on the iNEXT thus allows the driver to more quickly recognize the steering angle based on the position of the steering wheel. Finally, optical fibers integrated in the steering wheel side sections inform (through colors) about the availability of autonomous driving functions or the need to take control of the car.
iNEXT was anticipated by the concept that you can see in the image below:
