Avid fans of Sesame Street and Count von Count will know that 8 comes after 7. Until recently, the flagship vehicle of the BMW lineup has been the 7-Series sedan. However, that throne will soon be usurped by the newly introduced 2019 BMW 8-Series unveiled at Le Mans, introducing a new flaship for the German carmaker as well as a new rival for the Porsche 911 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe.
The new 2019 BMW 8-Series is a sleek and dynamic two-door luxury coupe, but BMW is adamant that it is more of a sports car than a grand tourer. The muscular design and huge kidney grille dominate the exterior design, which stays relatively true to both the 8-Series Concept and Concept M8 Gran Coupe, hinting at the impressive performance credentials of the four-seater coupe. Under the hood, the 8-Series will house either a 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo diesel six-cylinder unit with 315 hp and 580 lb-ft of torque or a new twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 with 523 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque in the M850i, which can propel the vehicle to 62 mph in a hugely impressive 3.7 seconds.
A full range of active safety systems will be available, including Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, Steering and Lane control assistant, Lane Keeping Assistant with side collision protection, Parking Assistant, and more.
Official pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but it should be available closer to the vehicle’s launch date.