BMW gave us a peak at is future way back in 2016 when it debuted the Vision Next 100 Concept with an outrageously futuristic look, technology that borders on impossible (if not actually impossible) and an overall design that is fairly attractive but highly implausible given the world we live in today. It’s a self-driving car, of course, but it has the capability of letting you take the reigns and while BMW didn’t explicitly say so, it’s also electric because that is the way of the future.

Based on appearance alone, the Vision Next 100 seemed impossible even 100 years from now. The thought of a flexible body that allows the wheels to remain completely covered seems like science fiction as does some of the technology inside. Three years later, however, Supercar Blondie actually got to drive the Vision Next 100 Concept – yes it actually drives – and we have to say that it’s rather impressive. Could it really represent the transportation of the future? We can’t really say for now, but we’re certainly a little more optimistic after watching this video.

As you’ll see when you click play, the steering wheel really does retract and hide away in the dash, the wheel arches really do expand and “breathe,” so to speak, when the front wheels are turned. When it’s in self-driving mode, the dashboard itself actually acts as if its breathing too. Granted, this thing is still a concept for now, and we probably won’t see anything like this on the road in our lifetime – we would need perfect roads on global scale and we’d have to perfect Level 5 autonomy – but BMW’s concept does work, it does drive, and it’s starting to look a little more plausible. Maybe not any time soon, but perhaps someday. That’s a huge step in the right direction, anyway. Go ahead and check out the video for yourself – it’s pretty damn surprising, to say the least.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2016 BMW Vision Next 100 Concept.