Having lost the luxury car sales race to Mercedes-Benz in 2016, BMW is planning an aggressive roll-out of new products over the next two years to claw its way back to the top spot.
In a press conference held Tuesday in Munich, Germany to outline its financial results, BMW’s CEO Harald Krüger revealed that up to 40 new or updated models will be launched by the end of 2018. The models are for the entire BMW Group and thus represent not only the BMW brand but Mini and Rolls-Royce as well.
Among the new models mentioned by Krüger are a redesigned X3 plus all-new X2 and X7 models. The X3 will arrive in late 2017 while the X2 and X7 will arrive in 2018. Also confirmed by Krüger are a long-wheelbase 5-Series for the Chinese market and a high-performance M5; they both debut in 2017.
For Rolls-Royce fans, Krüger said to look forward to the redesigned Phantom in late 2017. An SUV will follow in 2018...
...Crucially, Krüger revealed BMW’s intentions to become a leader in the “upper luxury segment,” currently dominated by Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class range. More models in this segment are coming, like the aforementioned X7. We can also look forward to the return of an 8-Series as well as an i8 Spyder. Krüger said BMW will also be selectively using the BMW i and BMW M brands to expand its offerings in the upper luxury segment.
Speaking of BMW i, we’ll see an electric Mini in 2019 and an electric X3 in 2020. At the same time, BMW is also working on fuel cells. BMW plans to produce a low-volume fuel cell model in 2021 but doesn’t see the technology becoming mainstream any time before 2025—if at all. And also in 2021, BMW is committed to launching a fully self-driving car code-named the iNext.
Finally, Krüger mentioned that BMW in the coming years will expand its services into new areas. He pointed out that BMW has accumulated roughly 30 million customers almost exclusively through the traditional business of selling cars. By 2025 he wants to increase that pool to more than 100 million customers via new services such as ridesharing and digital services.
It's funny when this gen of the A8 debuted it was considered to have one of the best interiors in the class. Just shows how the full size luxury market doesn't sit still no matter how low volume it is.
I would have to go with the S-Class as for fullsize luxury, I don't think anything can touch it. The design inside and out and just topnotch. The Audi is very nice too, but their designs have become to sterile. As for BMW, there hasnt been a good looking 7-Series since the E38.
For me the Panamera , XJ, and Quattroporte are the class leaders in my humble opinion. Above that of course the Rapide is amazingly desirable if a bit limited for space especially in the nether regions of the back seat.
If you're talking about just design/look, that makes sense, but Quattroporte and the Ghibli are surprisingly cheap inside - mismatched color plastics, cheap materials, etc.
Looking at all three, the Audi is too bland with a design that we have seen on $30k Audi models. The BMW front end looks like a mix between a CUV and trying to be a bigger 3-series, and less luxury than it should be....just making design elements bigger don't make them luxury. The MB is the closest to meet the luxury mark, but how the giant LEDs headlights are placed are a bit over done and take away from the elegance of S-Class. Again, bigger design elements don't make them more luxury, it just makes the sedan look like it has parts from a CUV.
The video highlights the flagship sedan’s automated remote parking feature, and gives us a glimpse of the A8’s tail-light design, side detailing, nose, and parts of the interior...
someone elsewhere really liked the steeringwheel :joyous:
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edit:
thought-provoking comment from Swizzle @ CarSpyShots
"...Audi just isn't in the hunt. They'd be better off just giving up on the A8 and then VAG doing a $100K (base) Bentley sedan..."
It appears that the MSB was a Porsche development that was ported to Bentley and that VW elected not to spread it too widely. Audi not sharing MLB/MQB architecture would be a waste of development capital, leaving only MQB for VW, Skoda and SEAT.
I agree that Audis would be better as RWD-based cars but VWAG is in a bind with a surplus of new modular platforms. I wish that Ford had that (good) problem.
As I Google issues to resolve my sons A4 with 84K miles on it, which includes excessive oil consumption, fouled plugs, heater stopped working and idiot sensor lights that include brake pads of all things.....I am cursing out the German automaker in several languages that I am fluent in, because I am looking at thousands of dollars to repair.
To think that I sold our 130K mile Fusion, which has never had an issue, for this German POS, has me pulling my hair with great vigor.
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