Photo: BMW
BMW is wasting no time with the launch of its new range toppers in the 8 Series. Shortly after their presentation, the Germans announced they’ve started production of the 3 newcomers to the series, the Gran Coupe and M8 in both coupe and convertible body styles.
As they join the existing 8 Series coupe and convertible on the assembly lines at the plant in Dingolfing, the 8 family has grown to a total of five members in a little over a year since its birth, one of the fastest expansions of a bloodline in the industry.
And this is not the end of it. By the end of the year, BMW announced it is planning to launch the M8 variant of the Gran Coupe, increasing the number of new cars in the range even further.
It’s not clear what fuels the carmaker’s confidence in this bloodline. BMW says its focus in the mid-term will be high-end luxury cars, but the unstoppable love for the 8 Series remains pretty much a bet.
The new 8 Series is a revival of an older nameplate. In 1989, BMW lunged forward into the grand tourer segment with the launch of the original 8, a car that was to become the first road machine fitted with a V12 working in conjunction with a 6-speed manual transmission.
Despite their optimism, the Bavarians were unable to keep the model in production for more than a decade. The original 8 died out in 1999 just as it’s convertible variant was about to be presented.
In mid-2019 the 8 was revived, and then some. In the span of just a few months, BMW launched the 8 Series coupe, its soft-top variant, the high-performance M8, both coupe and convertible, and the four-door variant named Gran Coupe.
Just to put things into perspective, the sales for the 8 Series coupe had just begun when all the others appeared, and it’s too early to say whether BMW struck gold or coal with this line of cars.
And this is not the end of it. By the end of the year, BMW announced it is planning to launch the M8 variant of the Gran Coupe, increasing the number of new cars in the range even further.
It’s not clear what fuels the carmaker’s confidence in this bloodline. BMW says its focus in the mid-term will be high-end luxury cars, but the unstoppable love for the 8 Series remains pretty much a bet.
The new 8 Series is a revival of an older nameplate. In 1989, BMW lunged forward into the grand tourer segment with the launch of the original 8, a car that was to become the first road machine fitted with a V12 working in conjunction with a 6-speed manual transmission.
Despite their optimism, the Bavarians were unable to keep the model in production for more than a decade. The original 8 died out in 1999 just as it’s convertible variant was about to be presented.
In mid-2019 the 8 was revived, and then some. In the span of just a few months, BMW launched the 8 Series coupe, its soft-top variant, the high-performance M8, both coupe and convertible, and the four-door variant named Gran Coupe.
Just to put things into perspective, the sales for the 8 Series coupe had just begun when all the others appeared, and it’s too early to say whether BMW struck gold or coal with this line of cars.
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