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BMW Previews Future Audi A7 Rival: the Concept Gran Coupe

BMW Concept Gran CoupeBMW Concept Gran CoupeBMW Concept Gran CoupeBMW Concept Gran CoupeBMW Concept Gran CoupeBMW Concept Gran Coupe
BMW has stolen the show at the Beijing auto expo by presenting the concept of a new four-door coupe, rumored to preview a future 8-Series model, a coupe-like large sedan to fight the likes of Porsche Panamera, Maserati Quattroporte and the future Audi A7.

BMW says the car has been designed to mix the abilities of a GT and a sportscar. Although it measures almost 5 meters in length, the concept shows the classic features of all BMW coupes: the long wheelbase, the vaulted bonnet with forward-pointing lines, the flat silhouette, the coupe-style roof line and the short front overhang. The Gran Coupe’s roof is 100 millimeters lower than a 7-Series sedan’s, the total height of the car being just 1.4 meters.

It’s true that the Gran Coupe points to a specific model, a saloon with the presence and elegance of a 7-series but a more dynamic, sporty character: much more of a driver’s car,” says BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk. “We’re convinced that we should make a car like this,” the designer added. So are we.

According to BMW insiders quoted by Autocar, the production version of the Gran Coupe will appear in 2012. The car will use the same platform as the current 5-Series and 7-Series and therefore offer the same range of engines. The Gran Coupe continues the idea started four years ago with the Concept CS (2007), whose production version was stopped to make room for the Megacity project.

Now we’ve had the opportunity to revisit the CS and update it, and I think everyone inside of BMW is pleased with the results,” van Hooydonk was quoted as saying by Autocar. He added that he doesn’t see the car as an 8-Series, but that’s up to BMW’s marketing department to decide.
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