FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: New BMW 7 Series
BMW finesses its next-generation flagship sedan for battle with S-Class and new A8BMW is putting the finishing touches on its all-new 7 Series limousine ahead of its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September, and its official European release a month later in October.
The Bavarian brand's all-new G11-series range-topper, due on sale in Australia by mid-2016, will be BMW's most important new model release in 2015, the year of its 100th anniversary.
And to take the fight currently being won by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the upper-luxury sedan segment, in which Audi also delivers a ground-breaking new A8 next year, BMW is sparing no expense.
Riding on a redesigned platform dubbed '35up', the new Seven presents an evolutionary new body design with a more pronounced wedge shape, shorter boot, more sloping bonnet, 'faster' grille and more muscular shoulders, as seen in this Automedia rendering based on pre-production prototypes previously caught on both camera and video.
It combines more aluminium, high-strength steel and carbon-fibre construction methods learned from the i3 and i8 electric cars to pare up to 200kg from the current model's kerb weight.
The substantial weight-loss program will allow BMW to power the 7 Series with a four-cylinder engine for the first time, with the base model's turbocharged petrol engine likely to generate at least 190kW. The same engine should be teamed with an electric motor to produce the first 'eDrive' 7 Series plug-in hybrid, offering about 220kW.
At the other end of the scale there's likely to be the first M-badged 7 Series, with the 2016 M750i expected to come with an upgraded version of the twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 seen in the current 5, 6 and 7 Series, as well as the X5 and X6, but this time generating up to 450kW.
Naturally, the next 7 Series will also come with a range of new diesel and petrol six-cylinder engines for the 2016 730d and 740i respectively, plus petrol V8 power for the new 750i and a hulking circa-450kW 6.6-litre V12 from Rolls-Royce for the new 760i luxury flagship. All of them will be direct-injected and turbocharged.
Of course short- and long-wheelbase options will again be available, but perhaps the biggest highlight of the new 7 Series will be its interior, which will feature a host of new technologies, including a new touch-screen controlled iDrive system.
Also expect it to debut the new TouchCommand rear seat control system previewed by BMW at last month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Basically a Samsung tablet featuring a special BMW app, it allows rear-seat passengers to control most of the car's functions.
Among them will be the latest in connectivity, which BMW has partnered with Harman to develop. Expect full WiFi capability, downloadable apps, 3D maps with real-time traffic and weather updates, and increased voice activation.
Then there's the myriad of traffic warning systems and convenience features such as self-parking and even some autonomous driving capability, for which BMW has partnered with automotive technology supplier Continental.
In addition, the next Seven will be available with every high-end option currently available from BMW, including laser headlights.
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