Despite being one of the best looking BMWs today, the new 8 Series family hasn’t gotten much traction in its segment. The 8 Series – with its coupe, convertible and gran coupe models – was designed to compete in the upper luxury car market. But a prohibitive price tag and the lack of versatility has turned the 8 Series into a challenging model to sell. So it came as no surprise when a few years back rumors were swirling about the demise of the 8 Series. Automobile Magazine reported that only the 8 Series Gran Coupe will survive. But at the time, the rumormill churned out that BMW was even looking at potential electric 8 Series down the road.
This week, a new rumor from the BMW world comes forward. According to sources, BMW is planning a new 8 Series, codename G77, built on the CLAR flexible architecture. This is the same platform which will underpin the upcoming X3, X5 and the combustion-powered 3 Series models. It’s unclear whether the G77 is the codename for the Gran Coupe model. Of course, this approach leaves the door open for an all-electric 8 Series as well. And if such model gets the greenlight in Munich, it will certainly arrive on the all-electric Neue Klasse platform.
But to make things even more confusing, a recent report from German journalist Georg Kacher (January 2022), said that the current BMW 4 Series and 8 Series models will merge into a new family, or older one, depends how you look at it: the BMW 6 Series. Furthermore, Kacher reported that the the iconic 6 Series could return in 2026 and will include a new series of models based on the Neue Klasse platform. He also stated that the only surviving 8 Series model is the Gran Coupe variant which, allegedly, will become part of the future 7 Series lineup.
Whether the rebranding will take place or not, remains to be seen. But the probability of an 8 Series-like model is quite high. And if we were a betting house, we would place our bets on an 8 Series Gran Coupe model. The rumored BMW 8 Series (G77) is said to arrive on the market in late 2025 which falls within the seven year production cycle of BMW cars. As always, you should take all these rumors with a grain of salt. At least until the first prototypes hit the road.
