Unveiled with great pomp and circumstance in 2018, after its racing version went official at Le Mans, the current generation of the 8 Series is not that long in the tooth yet. On the other hand, it is not what it seems either.
Available as a coupe, a convertible, and even as a swoopy sedan that’s more like a four-door coupe, the modern iteration of the BMW 8 Series lineup is mostly a re-marketed 6 Series, which is why it doesn’t excel in passenger space compared to a 4 Series, for example.
What it does excel compared to a 4 Series, though, is the use of a more traditional design language, especially when it comes to older BMWs that don’t have a giant kidney grille throning at the front of the car.
After three years of trying to establish a serious foothold in the luxury grand tourer market, BMW's biggest GTs no longer need to fear competition from Mercedes-Benz, but that doesn’t mean the Bavarians are standing still.
With that in mind, BMW has just started public testing of various 8 Series LCI prototypes in various guises all over Germany.
With LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) meaning "facelift" in BMW-speak, many people probably expect that the refreshed 8 Series might get a similar gargantuan kidney grille as its smaller brothers, but they would be wrong.
Oddly enough, despite defending it for almost a year, the Bavarians will not be using that grille on another one of their models, so the revamped 8 Series is safe in that regard.
Spy photographers have caught pre-production prototypes of the 2023 BMW 8 Series Coupe, 8 Series Grand Coupe, and an M8 Gran Coupe in the past few days, and they all seem to share one thing in common.
That thing is a minimal change to the overall exterior design, which seems to include slightly slimmer headlights and redesigned front and rear bumpers. The taillights might also get different graphics, but other than that, it will look quite similar to the current 8 Series lineup.
More changes might be found inside, while the engine lineup is expected to be electrified with mild-hybrid technology all across the board.
What it does excel compared to a 4 Series, though, is the use of a more traditional design language, especially when it comes to older BMWs that don’t have a giant kidney grille throning at the front of the car.
After three years of trying to establish a serious foothold in the luxury grand tourer market, BMW's biggest GTs no longer need to fear competition from Mercedes-Benz, but that doesn’t mean the Bavarians are standing still.
With that in mind, BMW has just started public testing of various 8 Series LCI prototypes in various guises all over Germany.
With LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) meaning "facelift" in BMW-speak, many people probably expect that the refreshed 8 Series might get a similar gargantuan kidney grille as its smaller brothers, but they would be wrong.
Oddly enough, despite defending it for almost a year, the Bavarians will not be using that grille on another one of their models, so the revamped 8 Series is safe in that regard.
Spy photographers have caught pre-production prototypes of the 2023 BMW 8 Series Coupe, 8 Series Grand Coupe, and an M8 Gran Coupe in the past few days, and they all seem to share one thing in common.
That thing is a minimal change to the overall exterior design, which seems to include slightly slimmer headlights and redesigned front and rear bumpers. The taillights might also get different graphics, but other than that, it will look quite similar to the current 8 Series lineup.
More changes might be found inside, while the engine lineup is expected to be electrified with mild-hybrid technology all across the board.