The BMW 7 Series is currently in its third year of production and that means engineers and designers alike in Munich are now working on an update for it. We saw a couple of spyshots already going around online and they are surprising, to say the least, mostly because of the large areas that are covered in camouflage. That could point to a noticeable change in design.
Nothing’s for sure for now, as sources inside Munich have very little to say about what lies ahead in terms of upgrades/changes for the 7 Series. At least that’s the case with our sources, as Autocar is claiming that one of theirs is saying the new 7er will be getting more hybrid models when launched. The reason for such a move seems to lie in China, where the legislation has recently changed, asking car makers to make sure that at least 8 percent of their sales are hybrid or electric cars.
Since the BMW 7 Series is a big seller for the Bavarians in Chine and the Germans will have to abide local laws, that could be the case. However, unlike what Autocar is claiming, this might also be a move done for the Chinese market alone. There’s too little time left between now and the expected launch of the LCI 7 Series for the engineers to be able to do proper testing of new hybrid models and make sure they abide the regulations of every market in the world.
Therefore, the new 7 Series could get more hybrid choices but only for the Chinese market, with everyone focusing on bringing out a couple of PHEVs that go by every rule possible so that it can be sold in the communist country. At the moment, there’s only one choice for those wanting to go green and it’s the BMW 740e in its various guises.
Offering a couple more models for the Chinese customers alone wouldn’t be a complete surprise as that’s happened for other models as well in the past. For example, the UK customers get to buy a BMW 725d model that comes with a 2-liter biturbo engine that’s not used for the 7 Series anywhere else in the world. At the same time, the 730i is being sold at the moment in China for those wanting a 7er by any means, caring little about its pulling power.
