In typical BMW fashion, the new upcoming flagship Convertible is teased in its test mule guise.
– The 8 Convertible will be joined by a four-door Gran Coupe as well.
– Expected to be officially revealed in coming few months.
BMW usually reveals the test mule of the upcoming product undergoing testing in harsh conditions. This time around it is the all-new 8 Series Convertible, pictures of which have been teased with its top down in the Death Valley.
The new 8 Series Convertible will carry the same design as the 8 Coupe sans a hard top. The new soft-top convertible will be the flagship offering from the Bavarian carmaker which will rival the likes of S-Class Convertible and Bentley GTC.
BMW has tested the new Convertible in the temperatures of 50 degree Celsius, extreme dust formation of the desert, stop-and-go traffic on the Las Vegas Strip, gravel tracks around Mount Whitney and long-distance journeys between the Pacific coast and the Rocky Mountains. Apart from that, BMW engineers have also put the soft-top through winter testing in Arjeplog, Sweden, the proving grounds in Miramas in Southern France and of course, on the Nurburgring. All these tests were done to check the onboard electronics, the hi-fi system, sensors and cameras for the driver assistant systems, displays for the new BMW Operating System 7.0, connectivity functions, seat adjustment, and, at the automatic climate control.
It will be powered by the same 4.4-litre V8 making 523bhp and 750Nm. All the power will be sent to an all-wheel-drive through an eight-speed automatic transmission. There’s also a more affordable variant with 5 Series’ turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six is also on the cards, but that will come later.
Apart from the 8 Coupe and Convertible, BMW also plans a four-door variant called the Gran Coupe. All three variants will receive an M treatment as well. The 8 Series Convertible is expected to be revealed in coming few weeks and perhaps debut at the Paris Motor Show in October.
[“Source-carwale”]
