April 20 will be the day when BMW is going to unwrap the 7 Series (G70), complete with a purely electric i7 counterpart. Until then, prototypes are racking up the miles during final testing to iron out any last-minute kinks. Our spies caught several camouflaged cars testing with internal combustion engines, some of which were paired with electric motors as denoted by the "hybrid" stickers on the doors.
To address the elephant in the room, the fullsize luxury sedan will lead the way for BMW's already controversial split headlight design. The X7 facelift and production-ready XM will follow shortly, but not all future models are going to inherit this look. Elsewhere, the front end appears a bit sharper than before even though the prototypes still have multiple layers of disguise.
2023 BMW i7 undergoes acoustic testing
We can also observe the redesigned taillights, seemingly with a slimmer shape. The 7er will usher in a new quad exhaust setup likely reserved for the flagship ICE version. It won't have a V12 under the hood since the M760i is being retired with an already teased Final V12 special edition. Going forward, you'll have to step up to a Rolls-Royce for a twelve-cylinder car from BMW Group. RR too will abandon the powerhouse as the Goodwood brand will go EV-only from 2030.
Those white door handles are actually just stickers positioned above the real ones. Rather than sticking out as before, the 7 Series will adopt flush handles in the same vein as recent BMWs. Airflow is becoming more and more important as a smoother side profile improves efficiency, which is of particular importance for the i7 by unlocking a few extra miles of range.
Bavaria's Range Topper Takes Shape:
As part of the teaser campaign, BMW has already previewed a good chunk of the avant-garde cabin. The Mercedes S-Class rival will transition to the iDrive 8 infotainment system while adopting a massive 31-inch screen for rear passengers. A so-called "Touch Interaction Bar" will be standard equipment and is going to take the shape of a dashboard-mounted screen reserved for the front passenger.
The 2023 BMW 7 Series will feature a new family of gasoline and diesel engines that have already been engineered to meet Euro 7 regulations. Even though these won't come into effect until later this decade, BMW is futureproofing its range-topping model’s ICEs to avoid paying hefty fines for exceeding emissions limits.
New 2023 BMW 7 Series Spy Shots
Beyond ICE-only versions and the i7, we also know a plug-in hybrid derivative is in the works. Rumor has it an M750e xDrive is happening and is going to boast somewhere in the region of 560 horsepower. In some countries with hefty taxes on vehicles with large-displacement engines, we won't be too surprised if BMW will once again sell the 7 Series with four-cylinder units.
All will be revealed in about three weeks, prior to a market launch taking place towards the end of 2022.
Source: Automedia