FUTURE MODELS
Series 8 aims to muscle in at upper end
Could bigger and bolder be better for BMW’s luxury coupe?
BMW’s answer to evaporating demand for luxury coupes like its 6 Series looks simple: more big, more styling, more space, more luxury and an extra two numbers in the name. Due to arrive as a production car in 2018, the concept 8 Series is a glittering example of BMW’s new-found push towards a richer model mix and higher profit margins, with less focus on volume at the bottom end of its range. It comes at a time when the company is promising a complete revamp of its line-up. "In the next two years, we will have the biggest, most comprehensive change ever seen in this company," says Ian Robertson, BMW board member for sales and marketing. That new era will see a mixture of tradition and future technology, but he insists that some things will not be compromised. "While electrification, autonomous and digitalisation are important in our strategy, there will always be the drive. Our cars will always have a steering wheel," says Robertson. While juggling all the parameters that are rapidly...
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