BMW is planning to release a 7 Series Coupe, a move it hopes will help bring some excitement, and sales, to its range-topping luxury car.
According to a report from the new coupe will arrive as soon as 2019 and it is only the first of several new variants coming to help boost the 7 Series lineup. BMW is mimicking Mercedes’ strategy with the S-Class, which is sold as a coupe, convertible and in the ultra-luxury Maybach version. Though a convertible from BMW wasn’t mentioned, the brand is also planning a Maybach competitor.
Audi is gearing up to release a new A8 flagship, further putting pressure on BMW to make sure its flagship car remains competitive. Four years ago, BMW 7 Series sales were on par with the S-Class, but sales have slid for BMW down to 40 percent below its chief rival.
A performance variant, the M760Li xDrive M Performance, was introduced for 2017 along with the 740e xDrive Plug-In Hybrid, both of which should begin to help boosting sales. Rumors of a full-on M7 sports car have been swirling for some time, but considering BMW is looking to get its edge back now, it may push the brand to actually pull the trigger.
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Internally, BMW is blaming the lack of sales on its car being a little too boring and not being able to capture the attention of the public with technology like Tesla’s Autopilot. Gesture control was introduced on the 7 Series, but it hasn’t proved to be a technology that consumers care about.
[Source: Bloomberg]
