The next-generation BMW 7 Series will emerge in 2022 and here’s what we know so far.
The BMW 7 Series, one of the brand’s most important models, will enter its seventh generation next year. Set to receive a striking redesign and a technology boost, the model will also be offered as a pure-electric car, dubbed i7, for the first time.
The new luxury flagship sedan is expected to use an updated version of the modular CLAR architecture found under the current 7 Series, as well as the majority of other BMWs offered with rear-wheel drive. The platform is very adaptable, however, enabling its use in two of the brand’s latest EVs (the iX and i4) and allowing the new 7 to be offered in pure battery form too.
Our exclusive image gives us an idea of what the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival could look like. BMW will introduce a distinctive new headlight design that moves the model away from its older saloons, such as the 5 Series. The current car’s combined daytime running lights and main headlamps will be ditched in favour of split units, with the latter located down in the bumper.
As is customary on recent BMWs, the next 7 Series will feature huge kidney grilles, while the streamlined nose references the iX SUV. Buyers of the new luxury limo will also be able to choose between standard and long-wheelbase layouts.
The rear of the new 7 Series is a little more conventional, with changes including a taller, reshaped bootlid and new, slimmer tail-lights. Higher-spec models will also be fitted with a recessed twin-exit exhaust system that’s set into a diffuser.
BMW is yet to detail technical specifications for the 7 Series, or the electric i7 for that matter. We expect the model to continue to be offered with a range of four and six-cylinder engines utilising 48v mild-hybrid tech to improve efficiency. Diesel power will be offered, too, with BMW chairman Oliver Zipse confirming four different drive technologies will be available.
It’s probable that a V8 petrol engine will return for the 750i model, too, although emissions regulations have killed off the flagship V12, in Europe at least. As for plug-in hybrids, expect significant gains in electric range and overall efficiency.
The i7, which will rival the Mercedes EQS and Tesla Model S, will use the company’s fifth-generation eDrive technology, which is also found in the i4 and iX. In the latter, a battery size of 105kWh is offered, with an expected range target of 700km.
Luke Wilkinson