NEW 8-Series ??!!??!!

[Jim Wald]

From the March 7th 2002 USA Today. Note the last item

A stable of new car models

One of Panke's first tasks will be overseeing an audacious new product barrage aimed at boosting worldwide volume by a third over six years.

Besides the new 7 Series, a handful of new models and major redesigns are in the works. Among them:

Youth machine. Something called the 1 Series, targeting young buyers with a $21,000-$30,000 price tag.

Mercedes buster. A new 6 Series scheduled next year to go head-to-head with Mercedes CLK.

SUVs R Us. Two utility vehicles, one of which is based on the popular 3 Series, the other on the 7 Series.

BMW goes Rolls. A Rolls-Royce powered by a Bavarian engine and powertrain, with British handwork on the inside. (BMW assumes ownership of the British marque next year.)

Fancy pants. A new, pricey 8 Series, expected in 2004 to challenge the Mercedes SL and satisfy its wealthiest buyers.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/covers/2002-03-07-bmw.htm

[MikeC]

With the current people in charge, a new 8 series would look like this:

It still had pop-up headlights, but as it is trendy to build headlights that are taller than wide, the three lamps will be above each other - not beside. Looks ridiculous but different. At least it gives you better aiming precision when hunting down pedestrians.

The boot line had to be raised until it matched the roof line - again only in order to get all the lights on top of each other. In between there will be a smooth and featureless free space.

The coupe-like shape will be cracked up into many fancy little, strangely angled facets because it improves aerodynamics. Just as with a golf ball.

It will be one meter shorter, one foot tighter and six inches higher in order to
a) help find the new target group a parking slot and
b) allow the new target group to keep their hats on while entering the car.

It would have the most glorious V12 ever built but it will not be available with manual transmission or disengageable DSC.

A new programmable timer will be added to the OBC in order to inform the driver to take his pills.


I don't think there will be any BMW that I like for a long time now.

What about you other guys? Does any one of the 'classic' BMW owners like the new style?

...Mike

[Jim Wald]

Mike, I am praying that you will be proven wrong about this. I hope that the new 7 is such a bomb in the marketplace that they bring styling back to BMW. I would LOVE to see a new 8 that is as classy as my 850 CSi, so that four years or so from now, if there is a new CSi/M version of the new 8, my CSi can have a stablemate.

I drove the new 7 yesterday, and it is not a car I want. I hate the looks, and they made the interior so complicated that they even screwed up the turn signal (it is easy to keep it turned on, and then turning it off can be frustrating - Turn-signal-by-wire?). The steering is too light and lacks feel. My feeling is that this car is going to drive a lot of non-technical types nuts. It handles alright for such a big car, but it makes a Lexus feel like it has soul.

[MikeC]

I haven't driven the new 7 series yet (and I don't feel the need), although I sat in one and was given the chance to toy around with the gadgets.

I think it's nice from the inside, outstanding for a big saloon car. But I think the 'knob' should have been a bit more responsive. It's annoying when you're always overshooting your target on the screen, besides it would distract you from driving.

There are lots of nice ideas in that car, e.g. the automatically extending headrests if the rear seats are occupied. I found operating it quite easy and inuitive. But I wasn't driving it, as I said.

On the outside I miss so very much the clearly defines lines. A huge car must look huge. I have once seen an Alpina B12 6.0 with 20" wheels. That's how such a car should look like: impressing and maybe a bit frightening.

Surely the new 7 series and its followers (new 1, 3, 5 and whatever) will find their customers, but I'm pretty sure they are not the enthusiasts of the time up until now.

...Mike