RE: BMW M8 Gran Coupe on course for 2019 launch

[IainR]

The financials of this car are going to be really interesting. I’ve been told that they’ll list at £160k+. I’m guessing you’d pretty quickly get a £20k discount off a new configuration, maybe more. The pre-registered / dealer demonstrators will I’d guess be around £100k and after a year or so and a few thousand miles they might be £80k. M6 Grand Coupes are down to c. £30k after 5 years and whilst this might command a slight premium to that I don’t think it will be massive. I do quite fancy one of these (probably a 2 door M8 Competition) but those figures if they turn out to be anywhere near the truth are pretty scary.

[Vee12V]

Another pointless BMW. Yawn.

[iphonedyou]

Vee12V said:

Another pointless BMW. Yawn.

It’s a car. Axiomatically it’s built to be driven.

Therefore in no way pointless.

[E65Ross]

Vee12V said:

Another pointless BMW. Yawn.

How exactly is it "pointless"? Whilst it may not be to your taste (or mine), but it isn't "pointless". It's purpose is to be driven, by people, to a given destination, and its USP is that it's fast and pretty luxurious, which it will be. No less "pointless" than V12V

[sidewinder500]

Sorry, what an hideous looking POS, sure it will drive nice, but a sensuous GT it is surely not, with all that pseudo aggressive holes addenda, the farting exhaust and the now trademark grille.
Seems like they lost the plot completely

[kavster296]

Exige77 said:

The 8 series replaces the 6 series. They are not for sale side by side.

But isn't the 8 series supposed to be a cut above what the 6 series was.
It seems as if the 8 series is a 2 door version of the 5 series and not the 7 series.
That's what it seems like anyway

[tigerkoi]

kavster296 said:

Exige77 said:

The 8 series replaces the 6 series. They are not for sale side by side.

But isn't the 8 series supposed to be a cut above what the 6 series was.
It seems as if the 8 series is a 2 door version of the 5 series and not the 7 series.
That's what it seems like anyway

BMW made a fist of their marketing and bracketing of model lines is my conclusion.

Originally the old, E63/4 6-series was marginally above, say, the Audi A5 or the MB E-Class coupe etc.

But the W215, 216 CL & S Coupes from Mercedes were a further level up.

BMW weren’t competing in the super luxury coupe market. The V10 M6 was awesome for instance but there is a genuine difference when you sit in the top AMG. It’s not about any performance differential, it’s about that next level of luxury and quality.

Then came the updated (and outgoing) 6-Series. Same story.

With the 8, initial hope was that finally BMW would have a definitive S63, Continental GT, DB11 type competitor. Play at that higher level. Whilst Ares is right that the 8 is a cut above the old 6, it’s still not quite there.

BMW should have kept the 6 nomenclature for a new 6, and used the 8 on a far more special car - one where the interior isn’t as standard as the rest of the range, or the company’s newest features debut on the flagship first etc, or maybe an engine that’s not found elsewhere, a turbo V12 perhaps. Exclusivity over the rest of the range. Just as the original E31 8 stood apart as the halo model and a desirable option across all the brands.

The new 8 is a fine car but betwixt the next level of super coupes (Continental, DB11 etc) and derivative of the old 6 which it is superior to, but in all honesty just a successor of in all but name.

Compared to the concept, BMW ended up playing safe with the new 8’s design, and with it, I think lost that edge and wow factor that would pull S63 owners across from Mercedes.



But...maybe BMWs internal thinking is that it isn’t MB that they’re looking to match model for model, but Audi. However Audi maybe betting on the A9 Coupe. And that will be a genuine top-level Coupe. Pillarless too.