BMW Is Killing Off That Weird Feature You Never Used

Back in 2015 BMW unveiled a function called gesture control for the then-new 7 Series. You could spin your finger to adjust the volume, flick left or right to change a song, and other features best served by a button. The Bavarian automaker has apparently realized this, as it’s just announced at CES it’s killing gesture control.

It’s actually a little more nuanced than that, as BMW Blog reports. The company feels that its new voice control system has advanced considerably due to the integration of artificial intelligence, which makes gestures unnecessary. Likewise, it admits that not many people used the gesture control feature in the first place. 

That makes sense just by its nature. The gesture control feature is practically invisible unless you know it’s there, and it isn’t very useful even if you know it is. It’s a cool party trick, but ultimately its functionality is best achieved through other types of controls.

BMW is dropping the feature now because it just introduced entirely new software and hardware for its upcoming Neue Klasse line of vehicles. Featuring both electric and internal-combustion drivetrains, the Neue Klasse cars are a departure from BMW’s existing lineup, featuring new underpinnings, updated exterior styling, and, you guessed it, more sophisticated interior tech.

This tech includes a pillar-to-pillar HUD and very few physical buttons. Even the steering wheel is all capacitive touch now. Whether or not the automaker will stick to this strategy is yet to be seen, as other companies are adding buttons back into their cars or maintaining them for key functions.