In about a year from now, BMW will yank the covers off its all-new 7-Series luxury liner at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.
For the first time, our spy photographers nabbed a prototype the upcoming G11-codenamed 7-Series wearing near-production headlamps instead of lights from the parts bin. There’s a strong likelihood that the next 7er will offer a similar laser lamp technology as the i8 on the options list, if not from the start, down the line.
It’s hard to predict what the new German limousine will look like under all that camouflage, though, BMW did mention that the Vision Future Luxury Concept shown earlier this year at the Beijing Auto Show hinted at the styling direction for its next top sedan.
Munich claims that the new 7-Series will be a technological masterpiece (and it better be if it wants to compete with the lauded Mercedes-Benz S-Class) that will employ the use of carbon fiber, not only in the floorpan, but on the body as well, including the hood and roof, to bring down the weight by as much as 200kg (440 lbs) over the current car.
A new pair of diesel and petrol 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder turbocharged engines will bring power and efficiency improvements, while the range will also include updated V8 and V12 turbo gasoline units. A nine-speed automatic should be standard, with some models offering optional all-wheel drive under BMW’s xDrive moniker.
BMW will likely follow the example of Audi and Mercedes and offer at least one four-cylinder engine in the next 7, possibly a 2.0-liter diesel in an Efficient Dynamics trim with super low fuel-consumption and CO2 emissions for the category.
There will be a plug-in hybrid powertrain, and if the rumors are true, an M Performance or perhaps even a pure-M sports edition as well to go against the S-Class AMG and Audi S8 saloons.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
Photo Gallery
