BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse confirmed last month that the next-generation 7 Series, codenamed G70 and G71 for standard and long-wheelbase versions, respectively, will be headlined by an all-electric model. Perhaps called either Mi7 or i7M60 and serving as a replacement for the current M760i powered by a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12, the battery-electric model with two electric motors will produce around 650 horsepower. That would be 49 hp more than the M760i and 50 hp more than the Alpina B7. The electric sedan is gunning for 400 miles between charges thanks to a battery of between 100 and 120 kWh. A report in BMW Blog indicates the revolution at the top of the sedan range won’t end there, though. The outlet cautions us to keep a sprinkle of sodium chloride nearby for this, but word from BMW sources is that there will be two more battery electric trims tentatively called i740 and i750.
BMW Blog thinks both of those lower sedans will produce between 350 and 450 horsepower. The i740 would get one motor and be rear-wheel drive, while the more powerful i750 will get two e-motors turning all four wheels.
On the combustion side, the a plug-in hybrid maybe called the M750e gets motivation from a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six boosted by an e-motor for a combined output beyond 500 hp. This will keep company with the i7M60 as the second of two M Performance models in the lineup, more powerful than the i750, and replacing today’s 750i powered by the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with 523 hp. A second PHEV, the current 745Le plug-in hybrid that gets 389 combined horses from a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and a 77-hp e-motor, will continue into the next generation.
Two combustion-only models stand at the base of the range, a 735d with a 3.0-liter diesel straight-six and a 740i with a gas-powered 3.0-liter straight-six. We don’t get the diesel in the U.S., but it produces 265 hp and 457 lb-ft. in Europe. Our 740i currently makes 335 hp and 331 pound-feet.
The rumors add up to seven models, six of which we’d expect in the U.S., equaling the number of 7 Series models BMW sells here at the moment. The crazy part is that today’s U.S. range is powered by an inline-six, an inline-six PHEV, a V8 with two outputs, and a V12, but if the rumors come true, the G70 7 Series lineup will be made up of two non-electrified straight-sixes, two straight-six PHEVs, and three EVs. Clarity could be a while in coming, the present 7 Series having two more years of life to live before retirement.
