Steptronic.

Making your driving pleasure more active: Steptronic makes shifting gears in a BMW with an automatic transmission as dynamic and sporting as it is with a manual transmission.

This flexible feature quickly transforms the six-speed automatic transmission in your BMW to a six-speed manual. When the gear selector lever is moved easily to activate Steptronic (in the BMW 7 Series Sedan with a button at the steering wheel), you can shift gears up and down as with a manual transmission.
In the BMW 7 Series Sedan, gears can be shifted with no need to use the gear selector lever at all: by pressing the keys integrated in the steering wheel. These allow you to simply switch to manual mode in Steptronic when desired - your hands stay on the wheel at all times. Two keys at the front serve to downshift, while two at the rear of the steering wheel are used to upshift. It also contributes to your driving safety: you don't need to take your eyes off the road for a moment.