[The Automotive Enthusiast]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Report by Automobile Magazine:

Just when it seems as if there are no niches left for BMW’s ever-ballooning lineup to seep into, news of a couple more bubble up. In 2018, the 1 Series replacement will switch from an ancient rear-wheel-drive architecture to a less expensive, lightweight, modular front-wheel-drive platform that will later underpin the all-new X2 small crossover. The slightly larger 2 Series coupe and convertible will stay on a rear-wheel-drive platform for the foreseeable future, but an all-new 2 Series Gran Coupe will switch to BMW’s modular front-wheel-drive matrix when it shows up in late 2020.

Around that same time, we’ll see an all-new four-door luxury coupe positioned between the 7 Series and the Rolls-Royce Ghost. Although a BMW coupe would normally wear an “even number” designation, management does not want to revive the little-loved 8 Series and does not own the rights to 10 Series, so 9 Series is the model’s most likely name. The production 9 Series will be a four-door, four-passenger coupe based on a long-wheelbase version of the 7 Series platform. Expected to go on sale in early 2020—six months after the present 7 Series receives a midcycle face-lift—the high-visibility, low-volume flagship will reportedly be available with a six-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain, a twin-turbo V-8, or a 650-hp V-12, which would be reserved for the M960i/M9. With a bit of luck, an all-electric powertrain package that Rolls-Royce is developing for the next Phantom might eventually find its way into the 9 Series as well.

The Vision Future Luxury concept pictured here, which debuted at the Beijing auto show awhile back, gives us an idea of what BMW's next flagship could look like.

BMW is also on its way to building an all-new, all-electric car called the i6, a modern yet practical package roughly the size of a 3 Series sedan. Due in mid-2020, the i6 will be built on a new “flat-floor” component set made specifically for EVs and have lots of carbon-fiber bits and pieces. The i6 will have between two and four electric motors and might even have an all-new lithium-polymer battery pack that is reportedly half as cheap to build as today’s batteries but with more than triple the energy capacity.

http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...lectric-sedan/


Is the I6 going to be different than the i5, or s it the same project?

[brianeck]

Originally Posted by Mo@BMW

http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...lectric-sedan/


Is the I6 going to be different than the i5, or s it the same project?

Good god. I love the part about how usually coupes would get an even number derivation, however "BMW stopped making any sense with their nomenclature fuquery quite some time ago."

[Fundguy1]

At least there's plans for an M9.

[infamousq]

Cool

[jwr0721]

I don't understand how coupes can have 4 doors. I thought coupe meant 2 door. Still baffles me and makes no GD sense.

[greekcs]

m9 land yacht

[yusephj]

650 HP V-12

[VO_1M]

Why do they refuse to make a 2 door 2 seater to rival the amg gts and R8?

[dsad1]

Looks like it is going to be about the same size of a 7 series.

I don't really see the point. I would rather see a luxury oriented 2 door coupe. Something that competes with the s class coupe.

[Slow///1]

Originally Posted by VO_1M

Why do they refuse to make a 2 door 2 seater to rival the amg gts and R8?

I agree, this would be much more exciting....

Let MB do the land-yacht thing.
The problem is that VAG had the Gallardo to use with R8 development, while BMW does not really have a platform to develop from (maybe i8?).

[Fundguy1]

I just wish they'd get their numbers fixed again.

[M_BYEEE]

Originally Posted by jwr0721

I don't understand how coupes can have 4 doors. I thought coupe meant 2 door. Still baffles me and makes no GD sense.

I think it's mostly just a marketing term. They basically are pitching it as a coupe with the practicality of 2 extra doors. Design cues still follow a coupe, ie. less rear passenger and trunk space, lack of prominent b pillar.

[M Heart]

I don't think this would happen for a while. BMW is a mass produced vehicle manufacturer, and vehicles like a 9 series or so does not make business sense as I would be a very niche car, and the premium segment (mass produced vehicles) is not doing very well and shrinking at the moment (Z4, i8, SLK,).

[Eddien123]

Originally Posted by Slow///1

I agree, this would be much more exciting....

Let MB do the land-yacht thing.
The problem is that VAG had the Gallardo to use with R8 development, while BMW does not really have a platform to develop from (maybe i8?).

Or they could start a new platform and wipe the floor with them. I know that the R8 is a fantastic car. But BMW could do amazing things if their number crunchers would let their engineers off the leash for a little.

[wdeerfield]

Originally Posted by M_BYEEE

I think it's mostly just a marketing term. They basically are pitching it as a coupe with the practicality of 2 extra doors. Design cues still follow a coupe, ie. less rear passenger and trunk space, lack of prominent b pillar.

also get frameless glass on the door windows and you get the coupe front bumper, lights and rear bumper lights.

this 9er is nothing more than an 8 series gran coupe if they were to resurrect the name.

[Kjenndal]

2 series Coupé and Cabrio will stay RWD because of their sportiness, but the Gran Coupé will get FWD? Where’s the logic? Maybe Scott26 can imagine why?

[Matski]

960 GranCoupe...

Sign me up..

(and lend me a couple of hundred grand)

[Shell]

Originally Posted by jwr0721

I don't understand how coupes can have 4 doors. I thought coupe meant 2 door. Still baffles me and makes no GD sense.

Copied & Pasted this from Wikipedia. Seems it's a German thing:


Four-door coupé
A luxury sedan with classic coupé-like proportions. The low roof design reduces back seat passenger access and headroom.[23] The designation was first applied to a low-roof model of the Rover P5 from 1962 until 1973,[24] but was revived by the 1985 Toyota Carina ED, the 1992 Infiniti J30 and finally by the first model 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS, which stands in Mercedes hierarchy between the E and S class, and has the appearance of a classic coupé and sedan. The term was also used partly from marketing reasons. German press accepted the concept of a four-door coupé and applied it to similar models from other manufacturers such as the 2009 Jaguar XJ.[25][26][27][28] Also, other manufacturers accepted it, producing recent competing models like Volkswagen Passat CC, BMW F06 and even five-door coupé, Audi A7.[29] The organization ADAC on its website also adopted this concept.[30] In Germany the definition of the coupé was finally divided into the classic coupé and 4-door coupé. This definition and concept of four-door coupé (instead of saloon) are evident in Germany, but they are not widely known in the rest of the world.

[YungDro]

thread closed....

[YungDro]

thread closed....

[DCG]

BMW designers need to design a proper looking i3, but it now needs to be named the i4 and make it "look like" the 3 & 4 Series especially the M4! And not an Econo-box look-a-like.

The i3 is an amazing car, it is just the exterior design I feel they seriously fell short on, and could have made a big impression and raised the bar on E-cars designs.

Did anyone catch the Formula E race this past weekend? Pretty dam cool if u asked me!!!

[ron_jeremy]

Intresting.
I love the rumored RWD 2 series coupe and convertible.
As for the 2 series GC it obviously should be RWD as well.
The 9... I'd rather see the 8 digit to be honest.
I think it's room for it to do reasonable well.
The i6 sounds like the rumored i5, but 2020 is about 4 years, should be here sooner.