The upcoming next-generation BMW 7 Series will be available with an all-electric powertrain and the top, most powerful version of the car will be all-electric, says BMW chief Oliver Zipse.
The 7 Series is considered BMW’s flagship car as a full-size luxury sedan.
It is due for a new generation in the next few years and Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, confirmed that they plan to have an electric powertrain in the car when that comes.
At BMW’s Annual Accounts Press Conference 2020, Zipse commented:
“And I can tell you officially today: That our BMW 7 Series flagship will be one of them. The next-generation 7 Series will be available with four drive train variants: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric. All drive trains will be based on a single architecture. And the top, most powerful 7 Series will be fully electric!”
When saying that it will be “one of them”, the CEO is talking about a new vehicle built in China and exported to other markets.
The first is the new BMW iX3 electric SUV. The German automaker announced that it will go into production in China this year and be exported to other markets globally for sale.
However, BMW recently confirmed that it doesn’t plan to offer the electric vehicle in the US.
Zipse didn’t confirm any plan to launch the new all-electric 7 Series in any specific market.
In the US, 7 Series sales haven’t been extremely strong and Tesla, which competes in the same segment with the Model S, has been outselling the sedan on several occasions.
The next-gen BMW 7 Series, including the all-electric version, is expected to be unveiled next year.
Electrek’s Take
I think it’s dumb to still be planning diesel and petrol options in future vehicles, but I do like the fact that the ” top, most powerful 7 Series will be fully electric.”
Of course, it will be. The two top performance sedans on the market right now are electric.
I understand if some automakers haven’t figured out how to produce EVs in volume at a more affordable price, but if you are doing a super-luxury vehicle, like the BMW 7 Series, it has to be electric at this point. There’s no excuse.
We can argue about how “luxurious” Tesla vehicles are, but the fact remains that Tesla has been doing it since 2012 with the Model S.
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