BMW i is the official mobility partner of Web Summit 2017 in Lisbon.

• New BMW i3s exhibited for the first time since its launch at IAA.
• Chance to test out visionary BMW HoloActive Touch gesture control.
• Keynote speech from Dieter May, SVP Digital Products.
• Experience electric mobility: test drives in the i3 and i8.

Munich / Lisbon. Rethinking mobility and coming up with groundbreaking solutions for the automotive challenges of the future is the goal the BMW Group has set itself. And the BMW i brand serves as an incubator for innovations and the latest technologies – as attendees at the Web Summit will be able to experience for themselves when the event starts on 7 November. As the official mobility partner of Web Summit 2017, BMW i is joining forces with a powerful player in the world of technology conferences.

Current and visionary highlights from the fields of electric mobility and connectivity will be showcased at the BMW i Plaza (Outdoor area) on 7 – 9 November. The new BMW i3s will go on display for the first time since its recent debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The latest BMW i model is recognised the world over as a symbol of driving pleasure, sustainability and intelligent connectivity for urban areas. A fleet of current BMW i3 and BMW i8 models, meanwhile, will also be stationed at the Web Summit for attendees to test drive. The BMW i Vision Future Interaction sculpture, which adapts to the individual requirements of both driver and passengers, shows the shape of things to come, including an innovative operating concept. And BMW HoloActive Touch takes today’s gesture control tech into a whole new dimension.  

Dieter May, Senior Vice President Digital Products and Services, will give those present the inside line on connectivity at the BMW Group in his speech on 7 November: BMW’s Smart Car. Expanding your digital lifestyle (AutoTech Stage, 1:10 pm). He will talk about what makes a smart car smart and how connectivity shapes and betters our digital lives.

Incubator for visionary mobility

The BMW i brand is already shaping the Mobility of tomorrow. Since 2011 the BMW Group has been broadening its focus beyond its core business of premium automobiles to include the development of mobility services. For example, the successful car sharing service Drive Now was also launched in Lisbon, the Web Summit host city, in September 2017. Drive Now is now represented in 13 European cities.

Other enterprises spawned by BMW i include ReachNow (the BMW Group’s car sharing offering in the USA), ChargeNow (easy access to the world’s largest network of charging points), ParkNow (straightforward location, reservation and payment of parking spaces), Energy Services (storage business models based on second-life EV storage systems and the BMW Energy Cloud) and the Centre of Competence for Urban Mobility (partners with representatives of cities and all relevant interest groups to develop sustainable concepts for future mobility in urban areas).

Through BMW i Ventures, the brand is investing in startup companies that are helping redefine the future of transportation and auto manufacturing. BMW i Ventures expert Zach Barasz will offer insight into this initiative and the handover between driver and machine on the panel 'Autonomous Driving & Handling the Handover' (November 7, AutoTech Stage, 11,15 am).

About the Web Summit:

Inaugurated in 2010, the Web Summit has grown into one of the largest technology conferences in the world in a very short space of time. It is now one of the most important events on the calendar, attracting around 60,000 attendees from 15,000 companies in 170 countries.

Press enquiries: We would be pleased to arrange individual interviews with our BMW Connected and BMW i experts. Please contact Nadja Horn or Paloma Brunckhorst for further information.