BMW will Add Two Extra Doors to the 8-Series

In the German language, the word vier means ‘four’. With the introduction of this 8 Series Gran Coupe, it is clear that the boffins at BMW have no fear of vier.

Another language that is helpful to know when talking about cars from Munich is BMW’s naming scheme. In BMW-speak, the words ‘Gran Coupe’ refer to a four-door version of a two-door car ... even though there already may be a four-door variant of that coupe already in production. Models which begin with an even number are coupes, unless it is appended with the Gran Coupe suffix in which case it has four doors and is not a coupe at all.

Clear as mud? Yeah, I feel the same. Think of Gran Coupes as four door BMWs with fast rooflines but without much rear-seat headroom and you’ve got the general idea.

This particular model is an addition to the existing 8 Series model line, one which already includes a hawt coupe and convertible. BMW is only providing the world with a teaser photo for now but a quick and dirty brightening of the supplied image reveals a slinky shaped car with four doors and enormous wheels. Gran Coupes are generally marketed as slightly less practical machines than their mundane four-door brethren



BMW mentions “the extended wheelbase” in the bumf of this new model, indicating that the 8 Series Gran Coupe could also be longer overall than its two-door cousin. That tweak will probably result in more rear seat legroom than the coupe, too. It’s still a Gran Coupe though, so don’t expect towering headroom back there.

In Canada, the fabulous two-door model is available as the M850i xDrive, complete with 523 horsepower and a starting price of $123,500. Removing the roof tacks an extra eight grand to its sticker price. Expect the Gran Coupe to split that difference.

Sales in this country of the German brand are strong, with the automaker posting a best-ever April result last month, spurred along by the seven-passenger X7 and the new 8 Series coupe. A total of 4059 BMWs found new homes. Year to date, the brand has sold 11,575 vehicles, down from 12,230 from the same time period one year ago.

Engines, pricing, and availability for the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe all went unmentioned, save for the model’s reveal date which is set for the end of June. Fear of vier? Not in Munich.