BMW Alpina officially now a thing, says BMW
The transfer of trademark rights is finally complete - now BMW can decide what it wants the new Alpina to be...
There was never likely to be a big song and dance about the creation of BMW Alpina; it wouldn’t really be in keeping with the Alpina way of doing things. The new brand wasn’t likely to be announced with a crazy concept car or flamboyant exhibition, because that would be weird. So instead we have a smart, subtle new 'wordmark' (consciously inspired by one from the 70s), and the promise in a brief press release that Alpina's existing hallmarks will be preserved in its new BMW-owned era.
There’s nothing so obvious as a new car or a product plan for the moment, instead a reminder of what Alpina was so good at - and what BMW Alpina intends to continue with. As M cars become more and more aggressive, so the gap for a more luxurious BMW alternative grows larger. ‘Key elements of the BMW Alpina brand are its unique balance of maximum performance and superior ride comfort, combined with hallmark driving characteristics.’ Take the ‘BMW’ out of that sentence and it could well have come direct from Buchloe at any point over the past few decades. It continues: ‘This is complemented by an exclusive portfolio of bespoke options and custom materials along with unmistakable details.’
And this is surely where BMW Alpina gets interesting. Because while pre-2026 Alpinas were famed for their interior ambience and sense of occasion, the company remained a fairly small-scale operation in the grand scheme of OEMs. BMW, of course, is quite the opposite. Think, moreover, about what it’s been doing recently with paint options, lavish concept cars like the Skytop (that made limited production) and interior treatments like the XM. BMW has become more proficient in applying bespoke options and custom materials, at just the right time for the acquisition of a brand near-legendary for it. Apparently there’s going to be a ‘remarkable portfolio’ of extras to choose from (if it’s good enough for Porsche, it’s good enough for BMW Alpina), creating ‘an exclusive object for connoisseurs in pursuit of the extraordinary’. While the reality may end up as a bunch of Brabus-style SUVs (because think of the money that must be possible), you’d have to hope that BMW Alpina can still apply its expertise to the sort of cars that first made the original brand so loved. They could start with the M5, for example…
Beyond that, and an explanation that the new logo ‘radiates clarity, calm and confidence’, the rest is speculation. Will BMW retain the B and D nomenclature? Will it apply Alpina as a trim level to everything or just higher-end models? Is it prepared to go to the technical lengths that Buchloe did to earn that 'superior ride comfort'? Can it do a better job with Alpina than Mercedes has done with Maybach? We don't know yet and it's very much all to play for. For now, it's all about ‘brand activation’, which means there's a fledgling website to visit if you'd like to sign up for updates. We're looking forward to BMW putting some meat on Alpina's new bones, not least because it used to make some of the most desirable cars on sale anywhere - see the classifieds for proof…
A kind of Exclusive or XLine offering on steroids, with the right colour pallette available (deep blues and greens), the requisite chrome, 20 spoke wheels, the Tartufo brown leather etc
There's data out there which shows how many people lust after old school specs - muted classic colours, tan or cream interiors, clear glass, silver wheels.
What I think we'll get instead is the madness of the 2020s -
Alpina classic elements but mixed with the stuff that is almost mandatory in this decade (black packs, blacked out trim, "carbon" everywhere, gold or black rims with large wheel sizes, and of course....PRIVACY GLASS as mandatory on all trims, no delete).
As a result, everything subtle and refined and gentlemanly about Alpina will go out of the window in a race to ape everyone else. And they can charge you £120,000 for the privilege.
From what I've heard they're even killing the lower end Alpina models to support a move upmarket, as sticking an Alpina badge on a 3 Series isn't great for the 'ultra-luxury' image they're seemingly hoping to cultivate.
Would they have continued to survive/thrive long term in their existing format?
Could they become what Manthey are to Porsche? Rather than what AMG is to Mercedes...
Oh well that’s progress,
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