BMW's flagship sedan, the 7 Series, is just about due for a redesign, and the company has started teasing some of the new features that we can expect when the car hits the market. As usual, the 7 is a bit of a standards-bearer — the last generation of the car was the first with BMW's iDrive controller, for instance — and there's no shortage of tech on the new version that can filter down to other models over time.

A brief video BMW has posted reveals some of the more interesting high-tech features of the new 7, starting off with remote-control parking, which will let the driver park and summon the car without anyone in it. (It's a bit like the self-parking i3 that we saw at CES earlier this year). The feature appears to be controlled by the key, which has an LCD display in it — it's basically a smartphone unto itself, minus the phone part, and first launched as a limited-edition option on the company's i8 hybrid sports car. It "operates various functions and supplies you with useful information," BMW says.

The next 7 Series will also get gesture control and a touchscreen inside the cabin, which — like remote-control parking — were also demonstrated at CES this year. It'll let you control basic radio and phone functions just by waving your hand, and you can interact directly with the display rather than using the classic iDrive knob along the center console. Underneath, the car will be made in part with carbon fiber — a feature they're calling BMW Carbon Core — which saves substantial weight. Like the display key, Carbon Core is borrowed from the i8.

The car is expected to be unveiled soon, and it looks like it's nearly ready: along with the video, BMW released a large collection of shots of the car in full camo: