2010 BMW 7 Series 760i and 760Li Surprise Release

Flying under the radar and the cover provided by the X6M's trip to New York, German manufacturer BMW the 760i sneaked passed the watchful eye of the media and turned it from a long-rumored-never-officially-confirmed vehicle into a reality. The 760i and 760Li will move at the top of BMW's line-up, "representing the highest level of motoring refinement in their segment" as the manufacturer says.

Both of the top models of the 7 Series feature a new engine, developed from the ground up as a new unit. The result of that development turned into a V12 monster, which develops 544 horsepower (22 percent increase) at 5,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 750 Nm (25 percent more than the previous version) at 1,500 rpm.

The 6.0l V12 is built with a variety of technologies ties to it, so that it could meet its builder's expectations. TwinPower Turbo Technology (for the first time on a V12), High Precision Injection with fuel injected directly into the combustion chambers, double-VANOS camshaft adjustment, they all work hand-in-hand to make both of the 7 Series models jump from a standstill to 100 km/hour (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds.

BMW thought that a brand new engine needs a brand new transmission, so they developed a new eight-speed automatic, featured for the first time in a BMW, to "convert seemingly unlimited power reserves spontaneously and with precise control at all times into supreme driving dynamics".

The use of those "unlimited power reserves" eats up a decent amount of fuel. BMW 760i uses up to 12.9l/100 km (18 mpg), the average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle. Emission rates stand at 299 g/km of CO2.