BMW’s flagship automobiles secure in Australia – for now

The BMW M8 Coupe has been axed within the US, however the firm’s native arm has caught behind its flagship M vary and the tamer 8 Collection.

“The BMW 8 Collection and BMW M8 Competitors variants proceed to signify an necessary a part of our mannequin lineup, and there are not any plans at this stage to discontinue them for Australian clients,” mentioned a spokesperson for BMW Australia.

That refers back to the total 8 Collection and M8 vary. BMW Australia presents the 840i in coupe, convertible and Gran Coupe (sedan) physique kinds, whereas the M8 is obtainable in Competitors guise as both a coupe or four-door Gran Coupe.

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At $380,000 earlier than on-roads, the M8 Competitors Coupe is the costliest mannequin BMW Australia presently presents.

BMW Weblog reported phrase from BMW in December within the type of a supplier bulletin that mentioned M8 Coupe manufacturing would finish in early 2025 and that there can be no mannequin 12 months 2026 (MY26) model to interchange it.

That would go away BMW M’s flagship mannequin vary with solely Gran Coupe and convertible physique kinds. The latter isn’t provided right here.

It’s unclear when or certainly whether or not a substitute for the present 8 Collection and M8 shall be launched. The present-generation line entered manufacturing again in 2018, arriving right here in 2019.

BMW Weblog experiences a substitute had beforehand been slated for 2026, providing each internal-combustion and electrical energy and driving the present CLAR structure, however that sources subsequently confirmed a closing choice on its growth had but to be made.

With a substitute not but confirmed, the outlet notes that ought to it lastly be green-lit it will be unlikely to seem earlier than the tip of the last decade.

The 8 Collection was launched as a flagship grand tourer line for BMW, filling the void left by the demise of the extra inexpensive 6 Collection Gran Coupe, coupe and convertible.

BMW has flipped backwards and forwards between providing 6 Collection and eight Collection fashions for the reason that Nineteen Eighties, with the earlier 8 Collection being in manufacturing from 1990 to 1999.

Although a prototype M8 model of this was developed, it by no means entered manufacturing although the E31-generation 8 Collection was provided with a variety of V8 and V12 engines.

The present 8 Collection has little in the way in which of direct competitors.

Whereas Lexus has its LC coupe and convertible, two-door variations of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class had been axed in 2020, whereas different equally priced coupes and convertibles are usually extra overtly sporty and equally priced four-door fashions have extra typical sedan silhouettes than the 8 Collection/M8 Gran Coupe.

The Audi A7 Sportback is less expensive, with the Porsche Panamera being the 8 Collection and M8 Gran Coupe’s solely different potential rival.

Final 12 months, BMW Australia offered 25 two-door 8 Collection automobiles inclusive of the M8 Coupe, in addition to 14 Gran Coupe automobiles. These had been drops of 54.5 per cent and 66.7 per cent respectively.

That noticed it outsold by the 7 Collection (85 gross sales together with 36 electrical i7s), in addition to BMW’s flagship XM SUV (144 gross sales). For context, Lexus delivered 51 LCs in Australia in 2024.

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