BMW previews upcoming 8 Series
Profit-hunting Bavarians will re-install flagship coupe from 2018German premium car maker BMW today showed a sneak sketch of the car it will finally use to replace the 8 Series at the top of its line-up in 2018.
BMW has confirmed it will deliver the 8 Series next year as part of a push to higher per-car profit and a shift in its focus away from higher-volume small cars.
The exact opposite of what traditional rival Mercedes-Benz has done with its A-Class and its front-drive architecture, BMW is pushing to make more high-margin SUVs, limousines and coupes.
Europe’s last significant independent car maker will show the 8 Series Coupe’s concept car at Italy’s Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza later this month.
“The 8-series Coupe will debut next year," BMW chief executive Harald Krueger announced at the company's annual general meeting in Munich today.
"We are refreshing our entire product portfolio and strengthening the performance side. Our strategy will focus on the luxury segment, where there are margins to be earned," he said.
Based on the architecture of the current 7 Series flagship, the 8 Series is planned to be priced somewhere between the limousine and the entry-level Wraith for BMW’s super-luxury subsidiary Rolls-Royce.
The 8 Series began life in 1989 as a V12 and ended its production run after 10 years. Unlike that heavier car, an M8 high-performance version is on the table and though it will have a range of engines, it will still be led by a V12 twin-turbo motor.
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