M engineer gives details on new BMW flagship
01-21-08, 08:09 AM
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M engineer gives details on new BMW flagship
M engineer gives details on new BMW flagship
Posted on Monday 21 January 2008
When BMW first rolled out the imposing CS Concept car at last year’s Shanghai Auto Show there were few that suspected a production version would ever be a possibility. But then we got confirmation a new BMW flagship was in the works, one that would be based on the new CS. Going by the name Gran Turismo, the new car will be a premium four-door coupe and combine the elements of both a high-performance sports car and a classic grand tourer.
Heading the project is 55-year old Gerhard Richter, a former BMW M engineer whose task it will be to see the car move from concept to production. Speaking with Automotive News, Richter explained that his first job is to decide which of the Concept CS design features will be carried over to the final version. One thing is for certain. The car will be longer and wider than the current 7-series flagship and it won’t arrive until after 2010.
Analysts from automotive research firm CSM Worldwide are predicting annual sales of around 15,000 units with pricing beyond that of the current 7-series, which itself can run up to about $150,000. For this kind of money, customers will get at least a V8 or V12 powertrain with the latest in BMW technology including an eight-speed automatic and possibly the carmaker’s new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in a high-performance variant.
By the time the new GT does arrive, the premium four-door coupe market will be starting to get a little crowded. Some of the cars it will have to compete with include the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, Audi A7 and the car that started it all, the Mercedes-Benz CLS class. In the meantime, click here to see a preview of what the final version could look like.
Posted on Monday 21 January 2008
When BMW first rolled out the imposing CS Concept car at last year’s Shanghai Auto Show there were few that suspected a production version would ever be a possibility. But then we got confirmation a new BMW flagship was in the works, one that would be based on the new CS. Going by the name Gran Turismo, the new car will be a premium four-door coupe and combine the elements of both a high-performance sports car and a classic grand tourer.
Heading the project is 55-year old Gerhard Richter, a former BMW M engineer whose task it will be to see the car move from concept to production. Speaking with Automotive News, Richter explained that his first job is to decide which of the Concept CS design features will be carried over to the final version. One thing is for certain. The car will be longer and wider than the current 7-series flagship and it won’t arrive until after 2010.
Analysts from automotive research firm CSM Worldwide are predicting annual sales of around 15,000 units with pricing beyond that of the current 7-series, which itself can run up to about $150,000. For this kind of money, customers will get at least a V8 or V12 powertrain with the latest in BMW technology including an eight-speed automatic and possibly the carmaker’s new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in a high-performance variant.
By the time the new GT does arrive, the premium four-door coupe market will be starting to get a little crowded. Some of the cars it will have to compete with include the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, Audi A7 and the car that started it all, the Mercedes-Benz CLS class. In the meantime, click here to see a preview of what the final version could look like.
01-21-08, 11:05 AM
#7
This four door coupe thing is such rubbish. I'm not sure why dropping the roof line and sculpting the rear end means your four-door car is worthy of two-door nomenclature. These features are quite honestly a design trend seen across the board...even in something like the new Camry with a tighter roofline, smaller windows, and a taut back end.
Who knew the Camry was a "4 door coupe"? Wow!
Who knew the Camry was a "4 door coupe"? Wow!
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01-21-08, 03:12 PM
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the 4 door coupe will probably be the thing people will look back on later and be like 'oh a late 2000s car for sure' the same way you can look at cars with fins now and know roughly when it came from
01-21-08, 04:25 PM
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This four door coupe thing is such rubbish. I'm not sure why dropping the roof line and sculpting the rear end means your four-door car is worthy of two-door nomenclature. These features are quite honestly a design trend seen across the board...even in something like the new Camry with a tighter roofline, smaller windows, and a taut back end.
Who knew the Camry was a "4 door coupe"? Wow!
Who knew the Camry was a "4 door coupe"? Wow!
01-21-08, 04:34 PM
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This four door coupe thing is such rubbish. I'm not sure why dropping the roof line and sculpting the rear end means your four-door car is worthy of two-door nomenclature. These features are quite honestly a design trend seen across the board...even in something like the new Camry with a tighter roofline, smaller windows, and a taut back end.
Who knew the Camry was a "4 door coupe"? Wow!
Who knew the Camry was a "4 door coupe"? Wow!
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01-21-08, 06:16 PM
#11
<sigh>... well must be a German thing cause so far it's only the Germans are onboard (VW, Audi, BMW, MB, Audi, Porsche). Only the AM Rapide is the odd duck.
And yes, we need another V12 in this world.
And yes, we need another V12 in this world.
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