Image used with permission of the copyright holder. The BMW 7 Series has battled the Mercedes-Benz S-Class for decades, but the Munich-based automaker has never built a proper competitor for the S-Class Coupe, which was known as the CL-Class until recently. That could soon change, as a new report coming out of Germany claims that BMW executives have finally decided to build a top-of-the-line coupe.
Tentatively called the 9 Series, the coupe will ride on a modified version of the platform currently being developed to underpin the next Rolls-Royce Phantom. It will be as big as it sounds, but its weight will be kept under control thanks to the use of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic, ultra-high strength steel and aluminum.
The Model 9’s design will reportedly be inspired by the sleek Vision Future Luxury Concept (pictured) unveiled last year at the Beijing Auto Show and, to a lesser extent, the recently unveiled 2016 Model 7. Surprisingly, enthusiast website BMW Blog believes that the flagship the ship could even be fitted with suicide doors, a design borrowed from its Rolls-Royce sibling.
Inside, the 9 will benefit from all the tech and luxury features introduced by the new 7. This means it will boast a gesture-controlled infotainment system, heated armrests in the door panels and center console, as well as BMW’s remote control-controlled parking technology. .
The 9 Series will borrow most of its mechanical components from the 7. That means buyers will be asked to choose between two 3.0-liter inline-six engines, a gasoline mill, and a diesel-powered unit. Mid-range models will be powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, and powerful V12s will round out the lineup.
A gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid model tentatively called the 940e will be introduced a little later in the production run. In the US, it will be sold with twelve-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines, but the sixes are expected to remain on the other side of the Atlantic.
Rumors of a top-of-the-range BMW coupe have been circulating in the automotive industry for years without ever materializing. Company officials have not commented on the report, so time will tell if it finally comes true this time. The next Phantom is due out next year, meaning the 9 could arrive as early as 2017.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn