Remember when Tesla launched a YOKE (flat-bottomed square steering wheel)? Its alternative shape attracted a lot of complaints as soon as it came out. However, recently, some media on the Internet have exposed a set of patent drawings of BMW's concept steering wheel, and its shape completely subverts the setting of the traditional steering wheel, even more exaggerated than tesla YOK shape. It is reported that this will be applied to BMW's advanced autonomous vehicle models in the future.
As you can see from the figure, the steering wheel retains only the left and right sides of the nest area, which looks like two handles. It is worth mentioning that the direction of these two handles will always remain upward, even when hitting the direction. The specific operation is as follows:
There is also a state where when not in use, or when the vehicle is on autopilot, the two handles fold inward to take up as little space as possible. According to CarBuzz, the steering controls can also be retracted in this case.
At present, BMW is likely to mass-produce this design application, because BMW has applied for patents for the design in the United States, Germany and China. Although BMW officials have not announced the mass production information, it is certain that at least until BMW's self-driving vehicle can be reliably put on the road before it can be put into production.