BMW’s Vision iNext concept doesn’t pull any punches where next-phase dazzle is concerned. And even if you’re tech-shy, the concept’s utilization of what the automaker is calling ‘shy tech’ may just have you curious enough to read on.

‘Shy Tech’ is—according to BMW’s press release—tech that has been embedded in various places in the car and is available as a source of entertainment and support when desired. ‘Shy Tech’ doesn’t advertise itself, but it’s there if you’d like to interact.

In the Vision iNext, ‘Shy Tech’ is present as a suite of three components: ‘Intelligent Beam,’ ‘Intelligent Personal Assistant,’ and ‘Intelligent Materials’; the first involves a projection system, the second a voice-commanded integration for connected smart devices. The third is perhaps the most interesting, and involves a furthering of touch/gesture control, using upholstery fabric as a means of communicating with the system. The idea is profoundly intuitive; imagine a certain way of touching your seat or the wooden console communicating to the system, with LEDs activating to indicate that the system is working. The imagination can’t help but look ahead to the fourth or fifth generation of such technology.

A panoramic roof liberates the interiors, and drive modes select between ‘Boost’ self-drive and ‘Ease’ autonomous. The look of the Vision iNext is suitably horizon-futuristic, with a perhaps overplayed take on the classic BMW kidney grille and big, moon-mobile wheels.

Essentially, though, the concept highlights the dream of many commuters: a mobile 21st-century living room. Or, as BMW has it, ‘Autonomy+Connectivity+Electric+Services.’