BMW’s iDrive infotainment system is undergoing a radical change. This week, the automaker rolled out a “close-to-production” version of its backbone software infrastructure at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Gone is the traditional gauge cluster in front of the steering wheel. Instead, everything is projected directly into the driver's line of sight through the windshield.

The once controversial-turned-iconic infotainment system controller interface will soon be officially retired.

The terminology, in typical Germanic fashion, is a little confusing. The entire system is called "Panoramic iDrive," with “Panoramic Vision” being the funky horizontal band display across the whole dash; meanwhile, the all-new software the whole enchilada runs on is named “BMW Operating System X.”

German carmaker BMW pulled the wraps off the Panoramic iDrive system and the Operating System X that will go into the Neue Klasse vehicles

The Panoramic iDrive system centers around four key elements: a Panoramic display at the windshield base, a 3D head-up display, a central touchscreen, and a new multifunction steering wheel. The system debuts in BMW’s Neue Klasse models,

BMW’s brand new operating system the iDrive OS X will feature in the upcoming Neue Klasse models and is its biggest change in 25 years

BMW has introduced the new Panoramic iDrive and Operating System X at CES. It combines infotainment with a customizable pillar-to-pillar Panoramic Vision display. Instead of using a knob, Panoramic iDrive relies heavily on the steering wheel.

BMW's new Panoramic iDrive infotainment system ditches the round control knob that's been a staple of the company's cars since it debuted in 2001. Gesture Control has also been killed off.