hahaha!!! no doubt about it!

I just found this...
Did you know that the iDrive, said to be a BMW concept copied by Mercedes, is actually a Benz idea showed in two Concept Cars in 1995 and 1996, the Vario Research Car and the F200?

Here an extract from the press releases of these concept cars and a pic of the interior with the clearly visible Controller in the center console in front of the armrest...

F200:
"The remaining display segments within the fields of vision of both driver and co-driver can be programmed at will. The required information can be called up by means of a rotary control: interior climate, navigation, TV, video, video games, PC, on-board computer, radio, CD player, telephone and a "help" function. The interior temperature on the driver's and front passenger's sides, out-side temperature and time of day are permanently displayed. The central display segment shows the area immediately behind the car, filmed by the rear video camera, when the F 200 Imagination is reversing.

The controls for heating, electric windows, swing-out-and-up doors, automatic transmission, lights, hazard warning lights, seat heating and stereo unit are arranged on a panel in front of the display where it is within easy reach of both driver and front passenger. This high-quality stainless steel panel provides a visual link with the stainless steel trim of the bodywork. The switches for the electric seat adjustment with memory function and for footrest adjustment are located in the door trim. A bracket for the mobile phone is mounted to the front stowage compartment in the dashboard. Placing the phone into its bracket activates the hands-off system as well as a new speech recognition system which makes manual handling of the car phone largely superfluous."


DaimlerChrysler on the 1995 Mercedes-Benz Vario Research Car:

"DaimlerChrysler engineers had also incorporated a new-style operating and control system into the dashboard of the Vario Research Car which harnessed the wonders of the latest microelectronics to make life easier for the motorist. All key operating information appeared in the form of symbols and text messages on two colour displays integrated into the cockpit and into the top section of the centre console. Easily understood coloured symbols were used to display important information about maintaining the applicable speed limit or a safe distance from the vehicle in front."

1995 Mercedes-Benz Vario Research Car's interior shown below



Did you guys knew that?
it only appeared, from what I know, in the Z9 Gran Turismo Concept in 1999 at BMW, so who copied who? BMW only developped it faster, and with the results we all know...

I dare say BMW was well into engineering and designing iDrive by the time Mercedes came out with those concepts. It's possible that both privately came out with the same idea but BMW was the first to implement it into a road car. Sounds naive but it's a great possibility.

I also think given the software available in 1996, iDrive as a entire concept would be significantly different to what mercedes has on offer here.

1996 was 12 years ago. Hasnt time flown by. 12 yrs ago I just started university.

Well it appears to me that if Mercedes put an idrive like system into one of their "F" cars that they were well into designing and researching the idea too. To try to still say BMW was first and was well into designing idrive in 1996, when MB already showed something similar is just plain reaching and grasping at straws. Clearly Mercedes had this type of system on their radar also as they do with any F series concept car, it previews what is to come.

M