BMW figured Beijing would be the perfect place to unveil it's new "four-door coupe" concept, it just didn't think the auto show floor was the right place for it.
Instead, BMW setup up a design studio in a hotel ballroom complete with a full-size clay model and various designer types sitting around trying to look busy. Then, after a brief history of BMW design by Adrian van Hooydonk, the current design chief, they rolled out the Concept Gran Coupe.
Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "hey, that's no coupe at all," and you would be right. But Mercedes-Benz proved years ago that if you call something a coupe enough times people will get so annoyed they won't even care anymore.
When asked about the obvious comparison to the CLS sedan, van Hooydonk said, "We've actually been thinking about this four-door coupe concept for sometime, but our focus was on sustainability recently. We think now is a good time to get focused once again on exciting design."
The idea behind the BMW Concept Gran Coupe is a familiar one: Build a real GT with a real backseat and make it drive like a sports car. Easy, right? Well, it's too soon to know if BMW has pulled it off, but the concept tries to set the mood with its wide, low stance. At 55 inches tall, it's a good 4 inches shorter than the 5 Series and 7 Series sedans with which the production coupe would almost certainly share a platform.
Also note the big front air intakes and deep-dished wheels. The distinctive headlights are LEDs and, because this is meant to be a coupe, not a sedan, the windows are frameless. BMW compares the forward cant of the Concept Gran Coupe's nose to a shark's snout, but it also evokes 1980s-era 6 Series coupes.
The roofline tapers gently to the rear, and BMW designers have done their best to keep the Gran Coupe from having a fat butt. There's almost no rear deck to speak of, as BMW wanted the four-door coupe to look like a "further development of the classic design of a notchback sedan."
There was no mention of the interior, drivetrain or likelihood of production, but given the car's very finished exterior appearance, we would say it's a sure bet this thing will be at dealers within a couple years.
Rebirth of the 8 Series maybe? Seems reasonable, especially if BMW chooses to take the design philosophy one step further and build an actual two-door coupe. Now that could be interesting.
dougtheeng says:
08:49 AM, 04/23/10
can we get a clearer view of the front? profile looks good.
hero_sina says:
08:53 AM, 04/23/10
Man this thing is beautiful,specialy official photos.
so what was the reason?they've kept this car since 2007.
majin_ssj_eric says:
08:54 AM, 04/23/10
^^^I totally agree. It seems as though since Bangle left, BMW has become way too conservative. I am not a fan of ANY of their current redesigns (5 series and 7 series). They all look the same now, just one size bigger....
alex38 says:
09:11 AM, 04/23/10
No impressed. Agree with others that it looks like a tweeked t-series. Front end, again, too long. The rear end looks like the all new Kia K7 designed by former Audi head, Peter Schreyer.
WTF BMW? A weak attempt here. The CLS was fresh and different. THis? Not even close..
azeton says:
09:41 AM, 04/23/10
lol... no... It won't be the rebirth of the 8-series
This will be marketed as the 6-series Gran Coupe. There will be three variations - Gran Coupe, Coupe and Cabrio.
cr_driver says:
09:48 AM, 04/23/10
I was to say boring
But with the addition of those last photos, well it now seems more interesting.
lotusshell says:
10:04 AM, 04/23/10
The 8 series should be reserved for performance driven cars. Not saying this thing won't go, but the primary focus here seems to be on luxury, not speed.
Why not just upgrade the face of the 7 series a little.
kr777 says:
10:12 AM, 04/23/10
Not BMW fan, but this car looks great!!
azeton says:
10:13 AM, 04/23/10
Guys this will not be 7 or 8 series.. it -will- be under the 6-series.
nealibob says:
10:25 AM, 04/23/10
I was going to say that this would be a perfect 6 replacement. The current 6 targets that same niche anyway, just not quite so actively.
sabastian says:
10:26 AM, 04/23/10
It looks a bit conservative to me for something that is supposed to be a coupe. The additional pictures do help, though.
mrryte says:
10:26 AM, 04/23/10
I give it a thumbs up. Of course, this is just a concept so who knows how much it will change before going to production....
azeton says:
"This will be marketed as the 6-series Gran Coupe. There will be three variations - Gran Coupe, Coupe and Cabrio."
Makes sense; I can't see BMW naming it the 4 or 8 series....
gfunkmoney06 says:
10:30 AM, 04/23/10
Liking the new angel eyes design. Giving it depth is an excellent idea!
albook says:
10:42 AM, 04/23/10
Not feeling it. Nothing special. A weak attempt at a CLS fighter.
half_ton says:
10:52 AM, 04/23/10
The last pic in shadows makes this car look L O N G.
saunupe1911 says:
10:55 AM, 04/23/10
This thing is flat out gorgeous.
adavis2493 says:
10:59 AM, 04/23/10
I'll be honest: I haven't been a fan of BMW Designs since the 2001 7-Series and 2003 5-Series, but this thing is flat out gorgeous.
m89 says:
11:08 AM, 04/23/10
It's definitely attractive, but there is no way you can call this a 4-door coupe. If you look at the CLS and VW CC, their belt lines are far higher and their roof lines are more sleek and flowing.
This 4-door sedan is as much of a coupe as Britney Spears is an artist.
cr_driver says:
11:14 AM, 04/23/10
This has been APROVED for PRODUCTION, words by the Bmw insider, scott26
"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 "
sturgl says:
11:55 AM, 04/23/10
To my eye, this is the best looking thing BMW has done in years. That's not much of a complement though - I haven't been a fan of BMW design since pre-Bangle. I do think they should lose the notion of calling it a 4-door "coupe". Don't market it as a CLS-fighter (I'll echo others' opinions re: a weak attempt here). Market it as a bona fide - and beautiful - 4-door luxury GT. A re-imagining of the flagship 7 series. A new design direction. Of course, rear headroom, etc. will dictate whether this is even possible. Still, pretty car imho.
cah11705 says:
12:03 PM, 04/23/10
Why couldn't they just make this the 7-series? There is nothing coupe about it, at all.
roar02ram says:
12:54 PM, 04/23/10
Quite nice, and the best execution of this new-generation front fascia yet. Overall, though, the proportions are off and unimpressive: the front overhang is too long, the rear overhang is too short, and the greenhouse seems oddly truncated & definitely ordinary.
Truth be told, I think the looks of the car, the ability to compete with the CLS...the whole nine, really, would've been dramatically enhanced if this had been a 2-door coupe with suicide doors.
Lastly, damn Euro pedestrian regulations...the tall nose really isn't doing this car any favors.
thedream21479 says:
01:07 PM, 04/23/10
Damn this thing is beautiful
crackheadalley says:
01:25 PM, 04/23/10
I BET... I BET ANYTHING Chris Bangle is looking at this car exactly at this moment and finding it horrible.
He's thinking about adding Aunt Edna's eyeglass rims to the headlights, a bulge to the rear decks and creases and bumps everywhere to make it "stand out, differentiate" itself.
I feel sorry for EVERY BMW owner that bought one of the aberrations inspired by Bangle's morning reflux rituals. They are probably crying right now, after seeing this: what a proper BMW should look like.
Congratulations to the team of designers that were able to create this and lay a big layer of lime over Bangles aberrations!
compressor says:
02:01 PM, 04/23/10
I don't care how good looking any 4-door car is. Its not a coupe. Its just a good looking sedan - and I am not talking about this one.
steng2495 says:
02:37 PM, 04/23/10
Beautiful. I've been waiting for BMW to finally make the car it should have been making years ago. Front reminds me of the Lamborghini Reventon.
feloniousmonk says:
02:45 PM, 04/23/10
Hey look, it's another BMW.
I agree with the sentiments of others above and wonder why this isn't the "new" 7series or shrink it a little and call it the 5series. Does BMW really need 3 sedans all within the same area of girth? I've always thought the whole "coupe-like sedan" thing was kinda superfluous, but this car doesn't even feature a coupe-like roof... at least not so you'd notice. I mean, in profile, it pretty much just looks like another BMW sedan.
krankshafted says:
02:58 PM, 04/23/10
Loving the design, but it's no coupe by any standard. I always thought the whole "4-door coupe" thing was ridiculous as coupe literally means "2 doors"...eh. I do agree with above comments, this should be the next 6-series, with actual coupe and conv. models
incyphe says:
04:21 PM, 04/23/10
Oh boy, BMW is really reaching with this one, calling it a coupe.
kdoodoo says:
04:57 PM, 04/23/10
Worst BMW looking ever. Now mercedes are more masculine where as BMW are losing its masculine and becoming more uglier feminine...
cjw88 says:
07:11 PM, 04/23/10
I'm not very impressed because something looks off. I think it the stance,either
a) the wheels are too big
or
b) it just doesn't sit low enough.
cjw88 says:
07:15 PM, 04/23/10
total agree with roar02ram on the overhangs
clarkma5 says:
07:24 PM, 04/23/10
It looks really good, but it also just looks like a sedan.
jeremiahhutch says:
09:55 PM, 04/23/10
Boring....next
dc325ix says:
05:40 AM, 04/24/10
looks like a volvo s80
ant14 says:
06:40 AM, 04/24/10
Nice to see them moving away from the Bangle influences. I find it ridiculous how BMW along with MB continue to call sedan "coupes", not sure what they are trying to accomplish with that, other than denial to the customer who is wanting to avoid the sedan stigma. This is simply a sedan period.
tx8 says:
07:06 AM, 04/24/10
looks like a mercedes cls fighter to me. i just hope that if this is a four door version of the new 6 series, that the coupe looks more distiguished from the rest of the linup. they are all beginning to look the same as far as the front end goes.
jb68902 says:
08:28 AM, 04/24/10
This category of 4 door coupe thingys has exploded since the CLS and the Quattroporte. Most of them are awesome cars and I'd have trouble choosing just one. Look at this list:
Mercedes CLS: New CLS in 2011-2012
Porsche: Panamera
Maserati: Quattroporte, new one in 2011 or 2012
Audi: A7
Jaguar: XF and new XJ
BMW: Gran coupe or whatever it's going to be called.
Just so many choices. I have an XF and I love it (as well as a S-Class). I'm thing of getting an XJ next and if the new Maserati is nice... I'll consider it too.
I always did like the BMW CS and I was upset that they didn't make it. I think the CS looked nicer than this, but if they make either one I'll be happy.
jb68902 says:
08:37 AM, 04/24/10
The car is hardly a "4 Door coupe" when compared to the CLS or the XF or the Rapide. This car just isn't daring enough. It looks just like any other BMW saloon car and I really can't see too many differences between this car and the new 5 Series.
I like the new 5 series. I think it looks nicer than the new E-Class (which is a bit over styled and a bit to glitzy) and I bet it'll drive even nicer than the old 5 Series.
If BMW wants a so-called four door coupe, they should've made the CS.
ptcdawg says:
09:47 AM, 04/24/10
Too many doors...
alexdi says:
08:03 PM, 04/24/10
Sexy. If this is the new BMW design direction, count me a fan.
stillwalking says:
05:38 AM, 04/25/10
I hoped that BMW would bring back the "8." I wasn't hoping for an 8 series sedan (how is this a coupe?). I WAS hoping for a top of the line, 2-door GT with a powerful V12 and maybe a base V8. Maybe even a fully manual option. This thing here is good looking, but I don't see a reason to pick it over a 5 or 7. BMW makes too many cars (not volume, but variety). I know they have lots of different people to sell to, but ENOUGH ALREADY.
zs1 says:
11:45 AM, 04/25/10
Actually, the silhouetted picture shows off the classic coupe profile quite well - very similar to the 850i and the Lexus SC400. Four doors just ruin the proportions. The addition of 2 longer doors and some reshaping/resizing of the rear quarter window to give the c-pillar a little more visual prominence would go along way.
jgcl2005 says:
08:17 PM, 04/25/10
Great looking car...horrible intro music.
jgcl2005 says:
08:21 PM, 04/25/10
Jesus the music was awful.
zoomzoomn says:
07:09 AM, 04/26/10
This is a really nice looking car, but what is the point? A sleeker looking 7-series sized car? It is not dramatic enough of a departure to make a real styling statement of it's own (not like MB's CLS is to MB's other sedans).
911chris says:
01:56 PM, 04/26/10
Simply one word: stunning! I really, really like it.
I like all the new BMW but this is even much better looking than all the other 3/5/6 series and the CLS.
I`m really looking forward to seeing one of these on the street...
jederino says:
09:16 AM, 04/27/10
This is a great looking car, and it reminds me of the Aston Martin. Small steps forward, but I think BMW will be looking good again.
nissanfan4lyfe says:
07:16 AM, 04/30/10
4-door coupe??? I'll stick with the MB CLS. That is a @ 4-door coupe done right. This is nothing but a 7-series with a facelift
crays says:
01:00 PM, 05/ 6/10
This car is a dud! Must be an old grumpy designer who did this. The previous CS(2007) is far better in design. What are they thinking? The higher you are in the corporate power grid, common sense is not so common. Back to the design board guys!
crays says:
01:00 PM, 05/ 6/10
This car is a dud! Must be an old grumpy designer who did this. The previous CS(2007) is far better in design. What are they thinking? The higher you are in the corporate power grid, common sense is not so common. Back to the design board guys!
empire713 says:
11:01 PM, 05/11/10
Great car but the price will put u living in a cardboard box LAMO
teegeedub says:
05:14 PM, 05/25/10
Does taking a 2 door 6 series... adding 2 more doors and 3 series rear lights still give you a coupe?
pbrahma says:
01:13 PM, 06/ 4/10
It looks too much like other BMWs. I like how Mercedes approach their design language better. Look similar. Yet, still distinctive.