BMW would consider replacing the 4 Series and the 8 Series together with a new 6 Series, once the current coupes and convertibles have reached the end of their commercial cycle. This future GT would, of course, be electrified.
In 1976, BMW introduced the first 6 Series of the name, a sports car taking over from the E9 type coupés of the previous generation. In 1989, the 6 Series was replaced by the new 8 Series, more GT than its predecessor. It left the catalog in 1999, and the void left by its disappearance was only filled in 2004 by a new one…Series 6. A third iteration of Series 6 extended the line between 2011 and 2017 before its place was taken. , in 2018, by the current 8 Series. And it is now rumored that BMW could replace the latter with – you guessed it – a 6 Series!
4 + 8 = 6
Australian journalists from WhichCar have reportedly been told of the 6 Series’ return by sources inside BMW. The car would not only replace the 8 Series, it would also succeed the 4 Series, the second generation of which has been on the market since 2020. Only the 8 Series Gran Coupé would survive, unlike the coupé and the convertible, through a car that could fit into the 7 Series family. This rumor echoes recent rumors about Mercedes, which could adopt a similar strategy by doing away with the two-door C-Class and E-Class in favor of a unique model named CLE. But that too remains to be confirmed.
TO READ. Mercedes CLE (2023). An unprecedented coupe on the way
In a manufacturer as in the other, this reduction in supply would not be surprising. Because, if “pleasure” vehicles survive as best they can among premium brands, they have now almost disappeared elsewhere. These models are pushed out by low profitability combined with the colossal cost of electrification ranges. Despite prices (therefore margins) higher than among generalist manufacturers, top-of-the-range specialists will not be able to escape this dynamic for long. Only the most exclusive players on the market such as Ferrari or Rolls-Royce seem to be preserved, driven by a clientele that is unaware of the crisis.
Electrified whatever its name
This supposed 6 Series should therefore display a template placing it between the current 4 and 8 coupes, i.e. a length of approximately 4.80 m for four places on board. It could be launched by 2026 and thus be based on the future modular Neue Klasse platform that BMW is due to inaugurate in 2025. Open to thermal as well as electric, but optimized for “zero emissions”, this architecture would be synonymous of a mixed offer allowing the car to find its audience in very different markets. But all this remains questionable for the time being.
