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BMW M8 Confirmed For Debut In 2018, EV Offensive Goes Crazy
6 Dec 2017, 15:18 UTC · by Mircea Panait
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When BMW took the veils off the Concept 8 Series, a few jaws dropped for at least two reasons. One of them is the return of the 8 Series, and the other is the get-up-and-go the M8 promises from the 4.4-liter V8 engine.
17 photosExpected to develop more suck-squeeze-bang-blow than the 600-horsepower S63B44T4 in the F90 M5, the twin-turbo eight-cylinder plant will give the German automaker’s flagship the performance one would expect from a luxurious grand tourer with sporting credentials.
So when will we get to see the M8 doing its best to fend off the Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe (and Cabriolet)? According to Harald Kruger, the chairman of the board of management at BMW, sometime next year production of the all-new 8 Series Coupe and M8 will kick off at the automaker’s Dingolfing plant in Germany.
Kruger also confirmed the X7 for 2018, the company's largest sport utility vehicle to date. “These are our goals for the luxury class,” further added the official, referring to “a higher segment share. A significant increase in sales and revenues.”
BMW also has big plans for the i brand, with the iX3 already confirmed on a previous occasion. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s Kruger again: “We have not only secured the naming rights for BMW i – from i1 to i9. We also hold the rights for BMW X – from iX1 to iX9.”
If that sounds like overkill, it probably is. But when you think about it, securing your intellectual property is the safest thing to do as an automaker, even if some of those models are far off from production reality. The i9, iX8, iX9, all three of them serve as perfect cases in point.
The strategic focus for the BMW Group is electrification, with the Bavarian automaker expecting to deliver its 100,000th electrified vehicle before Christmas, adding to a figure that totals close to 200,000 cars. By 2025, BMW will offer 25 electrified models, of which 12 are all-electric vehicles.
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