BMW is set to unveil its 8 Series concept tomorrow at the Concorso D'Eleganza Villa D'Este in northern Italy, but the car has been revealed a day early, thanks to these leaked, but official-looking, photos.
In these photos, posted to German Car Forum, we see a lot of the i8 hybrid sports car; as we'd expect, BMW's new flagship coupe looks notably more upscale than the already-posh 6 Series.
At a shareholder meeting earlier this month, BMW Group CEO Harald Krueger said the new coupe will be based on the 2018 BMW 7 Series sedan and fill the gap between that car and the Wraith sold by BMW-owned Brit brand Rolls-Royce, and will sell for somewhere north of US$165,000.
Krueger said the production version is slated to go on sale in late 2018 as a coupe, with a convertible to follow a year later; an M8 performance variant is also a possibility.
By the time the new car arrives, it will have been nearly 20 years since the first -- and only -- 8 Series was discontinued, after the 1999 model year. According to an Automotive News report from earlier this month, Krueger said the second-generation 8 Series is part of BMW's push to boost profits by "refreshing our entire product portfolio and strengthening the performance side. Our strategy will focus on the luxury segment, where there are margins to be earned."
