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BMW iX3 Doors Can Refuse to Open When Cyclists Approach
BMW's new iX3 introduces enhanced safety features, including electronic door locks that delay opening when cyclists approach, emergency steering intervention, and improved braking systems, debuting on the Neue Klasse platform.
By Charlotte Redford · 3 min read
BMW’s upcoming iX3 will be able to physically prevent its doors from opening if its sensors detect a cyclist or vehicle approaching from behind, a feature designed to reduce dooring accidents. The enhanced Exit Warning system, debuting on the 2027 iX3 as part of BMW’s Neue Klasse technology, uses side radars to monitor the area around the car. If opening the door could cause a collision, the electronic lock delays release until the danger has passed.
The system is a significant upgrade from previous iterations, which only warned drivers with lights and chimes. BMW is not the first to introduce such technology—Lexus and Audi have offered similar exit-assist features—but the company says its new emergency steering intervention is currently unique among rivals. This system can steer the car around an obstacle while staying within its lane, such as a pedestrian stepping out from between parked cars or a cyclist appearing in poor light.
The iX3 also introduces a range of other safety upgrades. The car can steer away from a potential side-impact collision, and its emergency braking system now reacts to animals. If the driver becomes incapacitated, the Attentiveness Assistant can take control, stop the car, switch on the hazard lights, and automatically make an emergency call. At speeds up to 1.2 mph (2 km/h), if an obstacle is within one meter and the accelerator is suddenly pressed hard, the car can override the input and stop itself, addressing the common pedal-mix-up scenario.
These features are made possible by a new water-cooled driver-assistance computer with roughly 20 times the processing power of its predecessor. BMW says the technology will spread across multiple model lines, with the i3, X5, and 7 Series specifically named as the next vehicles to receive it. The automaker frames these systems under the banner of “Symbiotic Drive,” which aims to read driver intent from steering input, eye direction, and turn signals, so the car does not nag when a maneuver is deliberate.
BMW points to Berlin as a case study for the dooring problem: the German Insurance Association logged 392 dooring accidents there in 2024, just under 8 percent of all bicycle crashes in the city. The new Exit Warning system is a targeted fix for this specific issue, rather than a vague safety upgrade. Drivers can still override any of the new systems, ensuring that the technology assists rather than overrides human control.
