New BMW 8 Series (and M8) – No V12 option and WON’T compete with the S Class Coupe

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The new BMW 8 Series – when it arrives as a production model – will not get a V12 option and will be a driver-focussed car, not an S-Class Coupe competitor.

We’ve only recently seen the new BMW 8-Series revealed, as BMW deliver a new range-topping car we thought would be designed to take on cars like the Mercedes S-Class Coupe and Bentley Continental GT.

That would essentially mean a big, luxury Coupe with all the toys BMW can muster, including a range-topping V12 version.

But it seems we might  have got the wrong end of the stick on the 8 Series, after Auto Bild had a chat with BMW’s  R&D boss, Klaus Fröhlich, who has a very different take on what the new 8 Series will be.

Instead of making the 8 Series a luxury Grand Tourer, it seems BMW are aiming the 8 at cars like the Porsche 911 and Mercedes-AMG GT. Which is where we thought the next 6 Series was heading.

According to Fröhlich, the new 8 will be very much a driver-focussed car, as capable on track as road, and although there will be a number of eight-cylinder options – including the M8 – but there will be no V12 option as that’s just too heavy for great dynamics.

In terms of price, it seems  the starting point will be getting on for £100k, and the M8 probably as much as £175k. It also seems there is little chance of a hybrid 8 Series any time soon.

The new BMW 8 Series just got more interesting.