The history of BMW is checkered and interesting to follow, but they are still here today, and looking forward to more to come. BMW celebrated its 100th birthday in Munich this week by reveling in past achievements and suggesting some important ones to come, but investors only asked, what has the company done for us lately.

And surprisingly, given the 100 years covered some parts of history best forgotten; BMW bravely came up with a full frontal apology.

In a long statement headlined “BMW Group The Next 100 years,” the company pointed to the 1930s and 1940s, when under the National Socialist regime it operated exclusively as a supplier to the German arms industry.

“As demand for BMW aero engines increased, forced laborers, convicts and prisoners from concentration camps were recruited to assist with manufacturing them. To this day, the enormous suffering this caused and the fate of many forced laborers remains a matter of the most profound regret,” BMW said.

BMW is organizing a world tour to talk about future opportunities and change for it and the auto industry in general in the next 100 years. The BMW Vision 100 tour will end in the Los Angeles in October. The tour will discuss –

The opportunities opened up through digitalization and connectivity

The increasing role of technology in our lives

BMW Group’s vision of a sustainable future

The company’s commitment to expand its efforts as a good corporate citizen

Investors though have more pressing concerns.

Morgan Stanley analyst Harald Hendrikse worried that in the fourth quarter of 2015, BMW’s profit margin may have slipped beneath the long-term target of eight to 10 per cent.

“We forecast an Auto EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) margin of 7.7 per cent for Q4 2015, below the eight per cent lower limit of the target range,” Hendrikse said.

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BMW is well known for the quality of cars they make and the technology embedded within however with this new seven series you will stand out even more so.

With the proliferation of technology across all vehicle segments, luxury automakers have to work harder to differentiate their cars. After all, when Buick and BMW both have Apple CarPlay, there isn’t much brand discrepancy via the dashboard display.

The 7 Series is BMW’s flagship and therefore the German luxury car company’s technology standard-bearer. Previous generations debuted the first in-dash navigation system, active safety features and center-console infotainment controller, iDrive, which other automakers later adopted.

BMW boasts that the all-new 2016 7 Series features 24 new innovations, and that half of those are segment exclusives. I got a chance to test drive the new 7 Series at a press event earlier this week and came away impressed with these six new tech features.

Gesture Control

Not only is the new 7 Series the first BMW with a touchscreen, but to activate certain features it doesn’t even need to be touched. The 7 Series has gesture control thanks to an infrared camera positioned in the headliner that detects the position of a hand in a small sweet spot above the shifter. Twirling a finger clockwise increases the volume of the stereo and twirling it counter-clockwise decreases it. Simply pointing at the screen can perform answering a call on a connected Bluetooth phone or swiping a finger can ignore the call. Two gestures can also be programmed to control a pair of favorite features.

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Investments change everyday, and the trends of how people can invest change as well. From silver, to housing, to own a business they are all very different. Today there is a new type of investment, by purchasing a new car to rent out to other people.

Car manufacturers are desperately seeking new ways to increase sales, maximize financial returns and address the changing needs of new generations like the millennial, but urging people to rent our their own brand new cars stretches credulity and will fall on stony ground.

News this week that BMW’s Mini will offer buyers of its cars the chance to offset the purchase price by renting out their vehicles surely won’t find any takers. BMW itself has a similar scheme called Drive Now, which board member Peter Schwarzenbauer has said is based on the idea from accommodation sharing web site Airbnb. Ford and GM have also joined in.

Schemes that allow people who don’t own cars to rent by the hour make much sense. This allows the young, who either can’t afford to own a new car, or don’t need one very often, to get wheels for specific jobs. It also allows makers of electric cars which nobody wants to buy, to get them off dealer lots and earn some money.

If it was a scheme that allowed, say, students to rent out their old clunkers to generate enough cash to pay for running costs and then some, it might make some sense. But is there anyone in the history of the world who bought a brand new car – whether it’s a little runabout or an expensive limousine, that would ever let a stranger drive off in it? The fact that they could afford a new car in the first place means the financial incentive just isn’t there.

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