Evidently tired of watching Mercedes-Benz take the lion's share of the full-size luxury coupe market, BMW is reportedly planning a two-door sportier version of the luxury flagship 7 series. Bloomberg is reporting that a source familiar with the plan has said that the super-coupe could arrive as soon as 2019. This would be part of BMW's goal which seems to be geared toward filling every market niche, both real and perceived. It's not clear if the coupe would have the 7 badge, or if it would bring back the 8 series nameplate.
Until recently BMW 7 and Mercedes S-class sales were nearly equal, but BMW sales have fallen rapidly versus the Benz. Audi's new autonomous A8 expected for next year could further cut into 7 sales. To combat this, BMW is trying to expand their offerings, and the new coupe is reportedly part of the plan.
BMW is blaming the sales slump on their latest cars being a little bit bland and not having the highest technology in the segment at the moment. Their much-lauded gesture control technology hasn't resonated with buyers In the meantime, BMW is hoping that the 740e plug-in hybrid will drive sales for customers wanting the highest technology.
