It's Official: 6-series Gran Coupe Headed for Production

[BLeyland]

SEE ALSO: BMW Concept Gran Coupe Info/Media Official Thread


This was previously acknowledged by BMW insider Scott 26 and I know there's already a thread for the Welt event earlier this week (and that BMW has to have some sort of sedan in a coupe's body on the way to stay competitive,) but I though it warranted a separate posting when I saw a story that said Klaus Draeger confirmed the Gran Coupe for production during the Welt event (copied below).


Post by Scott26: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=378322 and from his response in this thread:

The BMW Gran Coupe has been approved for production, the frameless windows will remain but the car still maintains a B-Pillar for Dynamic finesse.

The BMW Gran Coupe will be marketed as the... BMW 6er Gran Coupe.
Gran Coupe brings a new segment to BMW's portfolio and will spread to include other BMW models in the Future, just like Gran Turismo will.

This will bring a portfolio of three variants to the 6er , Coupe , Gran Coupe and Cabrio.

A Shooting Brake model to accompany the Gran Coupe has been designed and built for design and market evaluation.

The BMW Concept Gran Coupe will make it's European public debut later this year at the Paris Auto Show incidentally alongside another BMW Concept Car that will debut @ Paris.

The visual details of the front and rear of the Gran Coupe will be carried over to the new 6er Coupe.


More details:

• Launch will be in Summer 2012, suggesting either a Paris 2012 Debut (But Beijing 2012 is not ruled out either)
• On sale date will be late 2012.
• Manufactured alongside 6er @ Dingolfling.
• Design is shared with the new 6er
• Geneva is out because the F30 3er Sedan and M6 Coupe will debut @ Geneva. The F31 will debut @ Leipzig.
• Gran Coupe will be available with two Diesels and 2 Petrols. Active Hybrid variant also coming as is the M Gran Coupe.
• Gran Coupe is lower than the 3,5 and 7 Sedans.

If you look at the sillouhette above the Gran Coupe you can see how they have joined up the raised shoulder-line. It is like this on the new 6er too, it used to be cut over the wheel arch like the Concept CS until Mercedes-Benz brought out the E-Klasse Coupe, although some conspiracy theorists maintain it was altered after Karim Habib departed for Mercedes-Benz since it was intially his vision on the Concept CS.

And now from http://www.motobullet.com/news.php?id=10341

BMW greenlights Gran Coupe
Posted 2010/07/23 @ 07:00 AM
By Spencer Woods

It is not like BMW fans didn't see this one coming. BMW is giving the greenlight to a 6-Series based four-door called the Gran Coupe that was first shown in Beijing back in April.

We are fighting our urges to call this a sedan. After all four doors means it is a sedan, right?...well not anymore. Now German car companies are building four-door cars, but because of their swooping coupe-like lines, they don't dare call these vehicles "sedans". Mercedes started the craze with the CLS, and the VW Group has three in its lineup: Volkswagen CC, Audi A7 (later this year), and Porsche Panamera (they even flirted with giving Lamborghini one with the Estoque until the market bottomed out.)

BMW can't risk its customers migrating to another brand just because their sedan (oops, we used the "S" word) has sleeker lines. So earlier this week at its Design Night press event in Munich, BMW's design chief, Klaus Draeger confirmed it will add a second set of doors to the next 6-Series coupe.

There's only one problem, doesn't BMW have a long-established four-door around this size? (HINT: it's called the 5-Series) BMW says that the roofline on the 6 Gran Coupe is about four inches lower, and the tailgate area on the Gran Coupe is much smaller than a 5-Series. Just like the 5-Series, the Gran Coupe has a hybrid version rumored to be in the works.

BMW says don't expect the Gran Coupe to hit the market until at least 2012.

Pics /video from the Welt premiere of the Concept Gran Coupe which started yesterday:

[ZStig]

front end design looks pretty strong. I like it

[esqu1re]

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

front end design looks pretty strong. I like it

+1.

[SCOTT26]

Some news. (Which we already know)

Gran Coupe will enter production in 2012.
Launch will be in Summer 2012, suggesting either a Paris 2012 Debut (But Beijing 2012 is not ruled out either)
On sale date will be late 2012.
Manufactured alongside 6er @ Dingolfling.
Design is shared with the new 6er
Geneva is out because the F30 3er Sedan and M6 Coupe will debut @ Geneva. The F31 will debut @ Leipzig.

Gran Coupe will be available with two Diesels and 2 Petrols. Active Hybrid variant also coming as is the M Gran Coupe.
Gran Coupe is lower than the 3,5 and 7 Sedans.

If you look at the sillouhette above the Gran Coupe you can see how they have joined up the raised shoulder-line. It is like this on the new 6er too, it used to be cut over the wheel arch like the Concept CS until Mercedes-Benz brought out the E-Klasse Coupe, although some conspiracy theorists maintain it was altered after Karim Habib departed for Mercedes-Benz since it was intially his vision on the Concept CS.

[Keto]

Can I wait until 2012? Sigh.

[SCOTT26]

[Silver-Bolt]

There BMW goes mucking up the Series designations. Shouldn't a 4-door ^-series really be a 5-Series? lol

Nice looking though.

[kinan_sleiman2006]

Great news...............

[Wraith.]

Love that front end, both straight on and side view...

[antzcrashing]

So is the main difference between the gran coupe and the regular 6 series that the gran coupe is 4-door? Or will this be a very different car?

[E60orBust]

That dark graphite?

[Pitkis]

Originally Posted by SCOTT26

Some news. (Which we already know)
Gran Coupe will be available with two Diesels and 2 Petrols. Active Hybrid variant also coming as is the M Gran Coupe.

Any info about xDrive? I hope BMW will bring 4-wheel drive option at least with some engine versions.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by SCOTT26

Geneva is out because the F30 3er Sedan and M6 Coupe will debut @ Geneva. The F31 will debut @ Leipzig.

Aha, good info. OT, I know, but definitely good to know.

[TheBry]

Stunning! Love the lines! May be my next car.

[Lemon Jelly M3]

I don't care about Grand Coupe, but I do care about SCOTT26's avatar!

[lasovan]

Originally Posted by SCOTT26

Some news. (Which we already know)



Gran Coupe will be available with two Diesels and 2 Petrols. Active Hybrid variant also coming as is the M Gran Coupe.

Scott, can you tell us more about the most potent diesel engine (50d) that is coming with the 6 GC?

[dpratt34]

Sweet looking ride. If I had the means for the ///M, I'd be in the market in 2013 (or whenever it would be released)!

[bavarian19]

[BLeyland]

Originally Posted by maxnix

Ah, the white 2800 CS in the background looks so much more light and airy!

Wish I still had ours.

Seems like BMW is doing with the 6er what Ford did with the T-Bird in 1958. Market demands, I suppose.

agreed.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by LemonOne

I don't care about Grand Coupe, but I do care about SCOTT26's avatar!

YES! the M1 with power dome :-) and possibly the beveled grill? ~Frost

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by lasovan

Scott, can you tell us more about the most potent diesel engine (50d) that is coming with the 6 GC?

Interesting... a HYBRID M car hmmmm ~Frost

[Frosty]

..the shape with the excentuated fender tapering creates a surface on hte door that lends itself to a Bugatti type paint work... i can picture this black with red insert...