BMW green-lights Gran Coupe Posted 2010/07/23 @ 07:00 AM By Spencer Woods
It is not like BMW fans didn't see this one coming. BMW is giving the green light to a 6-Series based four-door called the Gran Coupe that was first shown in Beijing back in April.
We are fighting our urges to call this a sedan. After all four doors means it is a sedan, right?...well not anymore. Now German car companies are building four-door cars, but because of their swooping coupe-like lines, they don't dare call these vehicles "sedans". Mercedes started the craze with the CLS, and the VW Group has three in its lineup: Volkswagen CC, Audi A7 (later this year), and Porsche Panamera (they even flirted with giving Lamborghini one with the Estoque until the market bottomed out.)
BMW can't risk its customers migrating to another brand just because their sedan (oops, we used the "S" word) has sleeker lines. So earlier this week at its Design Night press event in Munich, BMW's design chief, Klaus Draeger confirmed it will add a second set of doors to the next 6-Series coupe.
There's only one problem, doesn't BMW have a long-established four-door around this size? (HINT: it's called the 5-Series) BMW says that the roofline on the 6 Gran Coupe is about four inches lower, and the tailgate area on the Gran Coupe is much smaller than a 5-Series. Just like the 5-Series, the Gran Coupe has a hybrid version rumored to be in the works.
BMW says don't expect the Gran Coupe to hit the market until at least 2012.
