Alpina boss confirms hothouse BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe

Exclusive automotive brand Alpina is committed to new models based on larger BMW SUVs and the 8 Series Gran Coupe, says Andreas Bovensiepen, head of Alpina (and son of the company founder).

During this week's launch of the new B5 Touring in Australia, Bovensiepen stated that Alpina's product development priorities were "big SUVs", likely to include the recently released BMW X7, presumably in petrol form as an Alpina model.

Subsequently, Bovensiepen mentioned also that Alpina was working on a new model based on the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe (pictured), which he expected would make its global debut within two years. It is currently in the pipeline waiting for work on other products to be completed.

But the company won't be developing new model lines based on BMW's UKL architecture. And that's one point on which the Alpina boss and BMW M Division's Markus Flasch are agreed: no high-performance models based on BMW's transverse-engine platform, including the new BMW 1 Series range.

Flasch has previously told Australian journalists that BMW's performance arm won't be building hothouse variants of the front-wheel drive models. Bovensiepen is of like mind. Alpina won't be building a boiling-hot 1 Series (or X1, X2, et cetera), but while in the case of the M Division it's a decision based on brand image as much as anything else, there are cost considerations at play for Alpina.

"No, it's not our plan," Bovensiepen told carsales when asked about the prospect of something like an Alpina B1.

"Development costs are very high and [they're] still going up with the new emissions rules. So for us it's better to stay with inline [powertrains], the ZF gearbox...

"We like to use one engine in several cars. For example, we have the V8 engine we had in the past, in the 6 Series, in the 5 Series and in the 7 Series. With our diesels we have the same engines in the X3, [and] in the 5 Series, and only the six-cylinder petrol [engine] in the 3 Series and 4 Series."

The front-drive models would complicate Alpina's simpler product-development strategy, Bovensiepen says, citing the automatic transmission of the east/west models as an example.

"The [front-wheel drive] cars have no ZF gearbox, they have an Aisin gearbox from Japan. We [would] need to work with a new gearbox supplier... and it's very difficult to earn money in this lower-priced category."

Bovensiepen essentially ruled out an Alpina version of the two-door 2 Series as well.

"Generally, it would be very interesting," he admitted, "but currently we have no plans, because BMW still has a lot of derivatives of the 2 Series...

"For example, the M2 is a really cool-looking car, but it's a lot of change to the body, and we could not afford such a change in body parts because it's very expensive to develop, and we need a high production number to do so. BMW M has, we don't have.

"If we [did] make a BMW 2 Series [based] on the BMW standard body... at probably the same comparable price as an M2 it would look a little bit 'poor'."