BMW won’t be making an M7 variant of the next-gen 7-Series to take on the likes of the Mercedes-AMG S63, but they have something equally hot in the pipeline: an electric version of the flagship sedan.
Confirmed by Chairman of the Board of Management Oliver Zipse, it will be the most powerful version of the 7-Series and will be joined by a plug-in hybrid derivative. Both models, as well as the regular petrol- and diesel-powered derivatives, will be based on the same platform.
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“The next generation 7-Series will be available with four drivetrains: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and fully electric”, said Zipse during the Annual Press Conference. “All drivetrains will be based on a single architecture. And the top, most powerful 7-Series will be fully electric.”
Whether it will be named the i7 or not is still to be confirmed. The most powerful 7-Series on sale today is the M760i, which uses a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 with 600 HP and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque, matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The current BMW 7-Series flagship offers a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) of 3.6 seconds and a 155 mph (250 km/h) top speed. The upcoming BEV 7-Series should be equally fast, if not faster.
It’s been reported that the electric 7-Series will be offered in two specs, with the most powerful one boasting over 650 HP and having a range of around 435 miles (700 km) with the 120 kWh battery fully charged. The lesser model is understood to get the i4’s powertrain and an 80 kWh battery pack.
Set to take on the Tesla Model S and upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS, the i7 made its spy photo debut late last year, with a plug port on the left front fender and camouflaged head- and taillights.
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