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MOTORISTS in the future will no longer switch mid-journey between automatic and manual drive modes, or between sport or economy, as they do now, but between control either by the driver or the vehicle, BMW predicted on Monday.

In the car of the future, the driver will have full control for as long as he or she wants. But at the flick of a switch, "the steering wheel and centre console retract and the headrests move to one side", the German car maker said at a ceremony to celebrate its centenary. "The seats and door panels merge to form a single unit, allowing the driver and passengers to sit at a slight angle. This makes it easier for them to face one another and sit in a more relaxed position for easier communications."

Meanwhile, the car will drive itself to a preset destination and simultaneously provide occupants with personalised information and entertainment.

BMW was founded on March 7 1926. At a ceremony in Munich to mark the occasion, executives described their vision for the future of automotive mobility for the next 100 years.

However, they sidestepped questions about how this future will look in SA and other developing markets.

BMW is already among the market leaders in electric cars, also known as e-cars. Though group chairman Harald Kruger said no one could be certain what the future would hold, "there is no alternative to e-mobility". However, this did not eliminate a continued future for the traditional internal combustion engine.

Said Mr Kruger: "We want to shape the future and not wait for it to arrive."

BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk said it was important for designers not to be limited in their vision. If, as a designer, you are able to imagine something, there’s a good chance it could one day become reality," he said.

A concept car — Vision Vehicle — displayed by BMW on Monday showed aircraft-style steering gear rather than the usual steering-wheel. Asked if the company believed the familiar steering-wheel would disappear in the future, Mr Van Hooydonk said: "We can’t be sure of anything."

Mr Kruger said the overwhelming presence of technology in the modern motor car had changed the motor industry completely. Few of the old rules still applied. "Being a leader in the digital age is quite different to being a leader in the past," he said.