The First BMW Alpina Model In The New Era Will Be A Large V8 Sedan
It'll slot between the 7 Series and Rolls-Royce Ghost.
The Breakdown
- BMW will bring back the Alpina 7 Series in 2027.
- The full-size luxury sedan is getting an Alpina-specific V8 engine without electrification.
- It'll be even more comfortable than the regular 7 Series.
It’s safe to say the Vision BMW Alpina stole the show over the weekend at the 2026 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. An imposing luxury coupe, the four-seat grand tourer won’t be the first model in the BMW era of Alpina. In fact, it may never see the light of day. For now, the sleek GT is billed as a “one-of-one design study.” In the meantime, the newly established sub-brand is putting the finishing touches on a large sedan.
BMW has confirmed that the first Alpina model since taking over the brand name will be based on the 7 Series. It’s scheduled to arrive sometime next year with a V8 engine, serving as a spiritual successor to the B7, last sold in 2022. Logic suggests the stately sedan will be heavily based on the recently facelifted flagship from Munich. However, we’re told it will be “unmistakably BMW Alpina.”
As for what that statement entails, it would make sense for some of the concept coupe’s design elements to carry over to the production sedan. In fact, the Vision BMW Alpina largely adopts the 2027 7 Series dashboard layout, complete with a passenger screen. Even the show car’s massive footprint of 5200 millimeters (nearly 205 inches) suggests it could easily pass as a 7 Series Coupe or something to that effect.
The New Alpina 7 Series Will Have A V8 With Over 500 HP
The updated 7 Series currently lacks a V8 engine because the 760i has yet to receive a direct replacement. However, BMW has already confirmed that an eight-cylinder M Performance model is coming in 2027. It would make sense for the Alpina variant to be closely related to what insiders claim will be an M760.
Alpina models from the pre-BMW era featured uniquely tuned engines, and the upcoming model will likely continue that tradition. The Vision concept featured a “V8 powertrain tuned to produce the characteristic notes of the Alpina exhaust: rich and deep at low speed, sonorous at high revs.” As for power, expect a big boost over the 536 hp delivered by the turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 in the old 760i.
2026 Vision BMW Alpina concept
2026 Vision BMW Alpina concept
The Alpina 7 Series Will Be Even More Comfortable
But the new Alpina 7 Series won’t focus on outright performance, since that role will belong to the M760. Instead, it will prioritize a sumptuous ride, as hinted by the concept’s Comfort+ setting. While details remain scarce, this mode appears to be an exclusive feature for buyers looking to step beyond a standard BMW: “a setting beyond the standard BMW comfort calibration that delivers a more supple, refined character.”
The biggest missing piece of the puzzle is how the future Alpina 7 Series will differentiate itself from the regular BMW. Past models delivered understated elegance and catered to the if-you-know-you-know crowd. However, the Vision concept’s massive kidney grilles make the large coupe far less discreet than the old B7. Some elements of the one-off coupe will likely carry over to the sedan, since it wouldn’t make much sense to unveil a concept so far removed from an upcoming production model.
Vision BMW Alpina Design Study
Motor1's Take: BMW appears to have identified a niche we honestly didn’t even know existed. Alpina will likely slot somewhere between a fully loaded 7 Series and a base Rolls-Royce Ghost. Regardless of where it lands within the BMW Group hierarchy, we’re glad to see the first new-era Alpina will be a sedan rather than an SUV.
But an SUV will likely follow not long after. With a second-generation X7 due in 2027, don’t be surprised if BMW Alpina launches a replacement for the XB7 before the end of the decade. Hopefully, a coupe as large and lavish as the Vision concept will eventually reach production and fill the void left by the demise of the 8 Series Coupe.
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