As you know, BMW->ke178 prepares to launch the new generation 3-Series->ke290 sometime in 2012. And today we have more details on the future car thanks to the British magazine Autocar. The news today is that the future 3-Series will be offered with a new Connect Drive system that will help the car "to react ‘intelligently’ with local road conditions to allow both greater fuel efficiency as well as improving safety for both drivers and pedestrians." Same system will also be used in the next 6-Series.

The new Connect Drive system offers "info coming into the vehicle" and "info from the vehicle". The first ones come from external sensors, from car-to-car communication and other technologies like these and then are downloaded in the car. The system will then combine them with information being generated by the car itself, including the vehicle status, and 3D information and makes decisions about the way the car operates. The new system will also help improving fuel consumption by 15%.

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