BMW will introduce on the new iX3 a safety function that can delay the electronic opening of a door when a cyclist, a vehicle or another road user approaches from behind. The system, called Exit Warning, is one of the assistance functions that debut on the first Neue Klasse-generation model.
The idea is simple: reducing the risk of “dooring”, the accident that happens when a door is opened in the path of a cyclist or motorcyclist. Side radars track traffic from behind, and if opening the door could cause a collision, the electronic lock does not release the door immediately. It can open after the danger has passed.
A measure useful especially in the city
For drivers and passengers, the system does not replace checking the mirrors or looking over the shoulder. It intervenes only as a safety net in situations where someone does not notice a vulnerable road user in time.
Door-opening warning functions already exist on some cars in the premium segment. Lexus has used Safe Exit Assist on the NX for several years, and Audi has exit-warning systems that can delay or briefly prevent a door from opening. The particularity announced by BMW is the integration of this function into the new Neue Klasse electronic architecture and the expansion of the package with other safety interventions.
Emergency steering and protection against pressing the wrong pedal
BMW says the iX3 will also be able to intervene on the steering to avoid an unexpected obstacle, keeping the car in its own lane. The manufacturer gives as examples a pedestrian stepping suddenly onto the carriageway or a cyclist hard to see in poor light.
The emergency braking system is also due to be able to react to animals. If the driver becomes unable to drive, the attention assistant can stop the car, switch on the hazard lights and initiate an emergency call.
Another function targets confusion between the accelerator and the brake in slow manoeuvres. At speeds of up to 2 km/h, if there is an obstacle less than a metre away and the accelerator is pressed suddenly and unusually hard, the car can limit the command and stop.
The technology will be extended across the BMW range
According to information published by Carscoops, the functions are supported by a new water-cooled computer for assistance systems, for which BMW quotes processing power about 20 times greater than the previous generation.
BMW has indicated that the technologies presented on the iX3 will not remain exclusive to this electric SUV. Among the models mentioned for later introduction are the future i3, the X5 and the 7 Series. The exact timetable, standard equipment and availability on the Romanian market were not communicated in the information consulted.
For buyers, the important novelty is not a promise of autonomous driving, but a broader set of interventions for everyday incidents: a door opened into traffic, an obstacle appearing suddenly, or a wrong manoeuvre in a car park.
