The BMW 8 Series nameplate made its triumphant return in 2018 after almost twenty years off the market. Now it’s due for an update.
BMW’s flagship has been spied in Gran Coupe guise featuring some minor changes front and rear.
The updated model will reportedly debut next year.
Up front, there looks to be a new front bumper, a revised grille and new, slimmer headlights.
The 8 Series looks to be another BMW that’s escaped the double-coffin nose fate that’s befallen the polarising new 4 Series/M4 and M3.
Down back, we can also see a revised rear bumper and new graphics for the tail lights.
Expect similarly minor updates to the interior, with an update to the latest version of BMW’s infotainment system.
It’s not yet known whether there’ll be any changes to the powertrain range.
In Australia, BMW currently offers the 8 Series in 840i and M850i xDrive variants.
The former uses a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine with 250kW of power and 500Nm of torque, while the latter features all-wheel drive and a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing 390kW of power and 750Nm of torque.
All three body styles – two- and four-door coupes and two-door convertible – are available with both powertrains.
BMW also offers a more powerful M8 Gran Coupe and coupe, which also uses a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 but ups power to 460kW.
The 8 Series range replaced the 6 Series Gran Coupe, coupe and convertible in 2018, though confusingly BMW kept the 6 Series nameplate running on the unrelated GT hatchback.
In a rough year for the industry, BMW still managed to sell 104 8 Series models in 2020 despite slightly higher pricing than its predecessor.
That’s around half its predecessor’s annual sales tallies from 2012 to 2015, though almost as good as what the 6 Series was managing later in its lifecycle and an improvement on the 8 Series’ first full year on the market.
It also compares well with other flagship Europeans, like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe and convertible range (16) and SL-Class (3).
