SuperGran

23 April 2010 - 14:45

Come on. You didn't really think BMW would sit back and let the other luxo-manufacturers fight it out for supremacy in the four-door-super-sort-of-coupe market, did you?

With the Porsche Panamera and Merc CLS well established and the Audi A7 not far from forecourts, BMW has shown its intention to give the competition a doffing-up by unveiling the Concept Gran Coupe in Beijing.

See pics of the BMW Concept Gran Coupe

It's a four-door, five-metre coupe-saloon with a roofline a full 10cm lower than the 5- and 7-Series saloons. Word on the show floor is that it previews the production version of the new 8-Series, though all BMW will say officially is that the Gran Coupe ‘illustrates the aspiration of the brand to build four-door high-performance coupes'. Sounds promising.

We're also told that the concept ‘carries the essence of brand values and the genes of BMW design into the future', which roughly translates as ‘expect to see these styling cues turn up all over our range over the next few years'. Looks to us like BMW is moving away from Bangle's controversial flame surfacing towards a sleeker design language. We suspect many shall approve.

There's no word on what engine might lurk within the Gran Coupe's long bonnet, so hell, let's speculate. Remembering that the 8-Series of the 1990s (which was, admittedly, a two-door, and a rather lovely one at that) was available solely as a V8 or V12, what would you like to see powering the Gran Coupe when it reaches production?

If it reaches production, we meant. If...

Sam Philip