BMW has finally confirmed the resurrection of the 8 Series moniker at their 97th Annual General Meeting in Munich today. The Bavarian carmaker also dropped a teaser to a ‘design study’ for the new BMW luxury coupe. The 8 Series Coupe Concept will be revealed at the 2017 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on May 26th.
If the looks of the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe are anything to go by, we are in for a treat. The Gran Lusso Coupe concept was another design study which took on this very stage back in 2013, but never saw the light of day after that. But now things are different. BMW is on a model offensive, refreshing the entire portfolio and introducing newer vehicles. And as reported earlier, there's the conundrum of 6 Series Coupe being discontinued and the new 5 Series GT slated to be called the 6 Series GT. Meanwhile the 6 Series will make way for 8 Series; things are getting clearer only now.
From the single teaser image, we expect the large Coupe to look somewhat similar to the 4 Series, with hallmark kidney grille up front, full-LED headlamps and sloping silhouette meeting a lip spoiler at the posterior. A lot of BMW styling is evident though, such as the new lighting signature. BMW asserts that the concept will “embody uncompromising dynamics and contemporary luxury in true essence of a modern BMW coupe. It will be a genuine sports coupe”.
The 8 Series is expected to be built around the highly successful CLAR platform which currently underpins the new 5 and 7 Series, and is expected to spawn the new X7. Similarly, the engine options will be shared with the flagship 7 Series. The new 8 Series will be a more premium product than the 7 Series in BMW’s revised product line-up.
Prototypes of the new 8 Series have been spotted already, indicating that the new design study won’t just remain a design study. BMW has also trademarked the 825, 830, 835, 850, 845, 860 and M850 monikers, indicating the variants which will be available in the 8 Series line-up.
The 8 Series Coupé is expected to debut next year, along with new i8 roadster. There are rumours that this new product expansion could see a full blown M8 performance variant a few years down the line. When launched, the BMW 8 Series will pose a serious competition to the Mercedes-Benz S63 Coupe.
