So BMW is finally entering the world of four-door coupes which is currently dominated by the founder of this segment, Mercedes CLS. And the car they have papered is this, the BMW Concept Gran Coupé. It is very similar to the CS Concept of 2007 designed by Karim Habib, who by the way is working for Mercedes now! The Gran Coupe seems to have the front-end of the 7-Series with the back-end of the new 5-Series.
BMW says that it’s a delicate mixture of traditional cues with modernity:
Based on a powerful tradition in this segment, the BMW Concept Gran Coupé carries the essence of brand values and the genes of BMW design into the future. The concept shows the classic features of all BMW coupes: the long wheelbase, the vaulted bonnet with forward-pointing lines, the set-back greenhouse, the flat silhouette, the coupe-style roof line and the short front overhang reflect the dynamic potential of the vehicle. The surface structures and the fact that the design quality is geared towards perfection illustrate the aspiration of the brand BMW to build 4-door high-performance coupes with the sportiest proportions and the most elegant design.
The car is almost 5 meters long and has a height of jut 1,4 meters, which makes it very low, flat and sporty. But it’s not as dramatic as the Merc CLS. It is less curvatious, but it should be a good compromise, because it means that there will be more space inside the car specially for the rear passengers, and that’s one of the major drawbacks with the CLS.
This Gran Coupe is a concept for the time being, but almost certainly it will make it into the production, maybe as a variant of the next 6-Series, maybe as a whole new class. There is no word on the car’s technical specs yet, but it has to be good. Don’t forget that the new Audi A7 4-door coupe is also just around the corner and so is the new generation CLS, and to be honest the Bimmer’s design is not enough for it to beat those mighty rivals and as usual it has to rely on its dynamics and not statics to sell!