New 2022 BMW 7 Series unveiled as bigger, more luxurious flagship Car News

“We modified the structure without any loss of stiffness,” Kahlenberg said.

BMW’s flagship four-door will be produced with a range of different drivetrains, including mild-hybrid petrol and diesel as well as plug-in hybrid and pure electric units, all powering both axles as standard. However, not all of them are intended to be offered in the UK. In fact, BMW decided to drop gasoline engines altogether for European markets. They will be indirectly replaced by new gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid engines offering electric ranges of more than 80 km.

The only diesel in the range, the 740d xDrive, will arrive in April 2023. It features a new version of BMW’s 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six diesel with mild-hybrid assist and Euro-6D compliance.

With a combined torque of 295 hp and 494 lb-ft, it is said to provide BMW’s four-door flagship with a 0-62 mph time of 6.3 seconds and a top speed limited to 155 mph with fuel consumption of combined cycle of between 40.9mpg and 47.9mpg and average CO2 emissions of 157-182g/km.

The 750e xDrive and M760e xDrive are also planned for the UK next year. Both petrol-electric plug-in hybrids run the latest evolution of BMW’s traditional 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six petrol engine in combination with a gearbox-mounted electric motor.

Combined outputs are rated at 483 hp and 515 lb-ft for the 750e xDrive and 563 hp and 590 lb-ft for the M760e xDrive. BMW quotes 0-62mph times of 4.9s and 4.3s respectively and a governed top speed of 155mph for both models. Combined with a new 18.7 kWh battery, electric range is 52-57 miles for the 750e and 50-52 miles for the M760e, with top speed in electric mode limited to 87 mph each.

Fuel consumption is estimated at 235.4-282.5mpg for the 750e and 235.4-256.8mpg for the M760e on the WLTP cycle, with average emissions of 25-28g/km and 22-28g/km respectively. The maximum charging capacity has increased from 3.6 kW of the outgoing 7 series to 7.4 kW.