Facelifted 2019 BMW 7 Series leaks

Two images of the refreshed BMW 7 Series have been leaked during a VIP unveiling in the US.

Featuring a new frontal design dominated by a pair of huge kidney grilles, it appears the new BMW 7 Series will adopt styling cues from the BMW Concept iX7 Performance that received a generally negative reception when it was unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show.

Along with the nose job, the facelifted BMW 7 Series is set to receive the car-maker's latest laser headlamps that are not only slimmer than the current car's but are significantly more powerful.

At the rear the facelifted 7 Series is also expected to sport a new bumper and a pair of LED tail lamps.

Inside the luxurious 7 you'll find BMW's latest iDrive infotainment controller, which plugs into the car-maker's next-generation operating system that will be faster and incorporate natural speak voice commands and yet more shortcut gestures.

Under the bonnet the 7 Series will be gifted the recently updated 4.4-litre V8 from the 8 Series that promises to produce even more than the 441kW/750Nm BMW M5.

As well as the V8, it's rumoured BMW will introduced a new or heavily updated twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder that will produce 250kW and will be available in rear- or all-wheel drive forms.

The mighty 441kW M760i xDrive, meanwhile, will live on post-facelift, but perhaps most interesting will be the introduction of the 745e plug-in hybrid that combines the 740i's 3.0-litre petrol with a powerful electric motor to produce about 285kW of power and 600Nm of torque. Those reserves of power will be matched by ultra-low fuel consumption and a pure-electric range of about 60km.

It's thought BMW plans to properly unveil its uglier, cleaner and more technologically sophisticated 7 Series this March at the Geneva motor show, with sales beginning shortly after in Europe.

Australia details remain unknown at this stage.