Is It Really Needed? BMW Hints At A 9-Series To Take On Bentley And Maybach

What's with Hooeydonk (?) filling in the space that separates the twin kidney grille leaving just a little protrusion on the top and bottom as separators? Kia already did that to their grilles 4 years ago!

They need to fix the 7 series and make it an appealing vehicle again

Doesn't BMW already own Rolls Royce, which competes with Bently and Maybach???

IKR! ...this kind of rumor doesn't make sense.

A 9-er would directly compete with the Ghost/Wraith/Dawn?

A slicker Ghost would be cool (a la 7er Gran Coupe proportions). Otherwise maybe a 3/4ths or 5/8ths Cullinan ultra-luxury CUV for those who would prefer a tall smaller utility Roller.

Do they really need another model line?? Really??

Why pursue such a small market niche? That capital would be better deployed hiring some new designers to freshen things up as the current design team & theme is regressing as Merc is dominating these niches with far superior products...

Why did BMW not use the FVL concept design for the 7-series? That would have been a home run.

Bingo and the large coupe concept would also have been a home run. BUT you have BMW's concept division totally divorced from its styling division.

BMW does not know how to make worthy Full size Luxury cars. THe current 7 series is a disaster - handles poorly - falls apart after 3 years - and as a result has really low resale value. If I were BMW - I would probably let ROLLS play in that territory -and cancel the 7 Series - and forget about competing with the Mercedes Maybach - with which they are woefully deficient.

Here we go again, as the lone defender of the 7.

The current 7-Series is great. It sells less than the S-Class, as it has since the dawn of time, and as it always will. The competitive advantages of the 7-Series do not align with the primary desires of the majority of the market. BMW has learned how to be 2nd in this category (I hope, since they'll never be 1st).

The 7-Series also drives and handles extremely well (see previous point about competitive advantage). It drives and handles better than the S, that's for sure.

Maybe it will fall apart after 3 years, no one knows. It hasn't been around for 3 years yet. Past models are not necessarily encouraging, but judge each one on its own merits.

You can't cancel the 7 and let Rolls play in that territory. Rolls-Royce is a rung or two up the ladder from the S/7. The 7 has its place and it has its role in its market space.

As far as a 9 series goes, I do agree that will be a challenge. But, I think they've done a good job playing in high-luxury with the 7, and maybe they can continue to learn from Rolls-Royce. There's a lot of daylight between S/7 territory and Rolls-Royce/Bentley territory. Right now, the Maybach is all there is, so maybe it's time to liven up the competition.

The 9 Series will replace the 7 Series just as the 8 Series replaced the 6 Series...just watch.

BMW, Mercedes and Audi never want the others to gain a leg up and always follow each other if one does. VW bought Bentley, then BMW bought Rolls, then Mercedes reintroduced the Maybach brand. Its been follow the leader for decades as German pride is at stake. Their model lineups are all a refection of each other's.

The 7 Series has been a colossal failure for some time so, like the 6 Series, they will create an identical car that will also be a colossal failure. The Germans are becoming more and more played out unfortunately.

So, there is territory south of the RR starting prices and north of the S-Class/7 Series that must be profitable. This territory is occupied by Maybach and Bentley. BMW wants a share of this, is that really wrong? So the decision would be to improve the prestige of BMW by offering a model above the 7 and 8 or potentially decrease the prestige of RR by offering models below their current lineup. The real question is why a 4-dr coupe? Why not an SUV like a fancier, stretched X6?

Misleading/wrong title!

The linked article does **NOT** say they're aiming at Bentley. Only at Maybach, which is now just an S-Class trim level, so a more luxurious BMW makes sense in that respect.

Mind you, Mercedes' angle has been luxury, while BMW has been claiming more "sport", so I don't have much faith in a more sporty version of a limousine being a success.

The Steve....I hate to say it but your words are final on thi matter and the time will give you the reason.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate for BMW to make the LUXURY cars is sells more like LUXURY cars instead of building yet another line of slow selling over priced cars? 9 series?? the 7 Series interior is on par with a KIA, no insult to Kia, their delivering amazing interiors for the price, but BMW, not offering basic safety equipment on their cars, so the idea of a luxurious BMW is somewhat counter intuitive, they have no luxury in any of their cars and R-R is stupidly priced even for super rich people... Greed, that is what drives dumb ideas like a 9 series.. fix the 1-8 series you cheap bastards and then talk about a 9 series...