REPORT: BMW M boss Segler says no M7 model is forthcoming
BMW 7 Series M Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery
In an Automotive News interview given to coincide with the launches of the X5 M and X6 M, when asked about an M7 BMW's M division head Kay Segler replied, "We've looked at that and decided not to do it. The 760 with awd is a very strong offer. The M sales would be too small for our total investment." That means that the M Sport version (pictured) is the closest you'll get to a super 7. If you don't mind the lack of an "M" badge, the 507-hp Alpina B7 is an M in all but name.
For those of you at the other end, Segler says he needs a year to look into a M version of the 1-Series, but that an X1 won't be finding its way into the M house yet. Of course, there was a time when BMW said there would be no M versions of any of their so-called "Sports Activity Vehicles," saying they wouldn't fit the brand...
Gallery: BMW 7 Series M Sport
[Source: Automotive News, - sub. req'd]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
larry a 4:23PM (7/13/2009)
Yet they build an X6 M and an X5 M
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Affalterbach 4:36PM (7/13/2009)
I guess everyone has to whore out eventually....
larry a 4:44PM (7/13/2009)
I guess Benz' AMG is making them a lot of bread, but w/e this is good cause the people that drive these cars dont need any more power than whats offered to them.
996700 9:11PM (7/13/2009)
I guess this makes good business scents; it would have to be better then the M5.Good call, i have never really liked the 7 serious.
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Alexander 5:19PM (7/13/2009)
"good business scents? 7 serious?" epic fail, please go back to school
JZeke 5:20PM (7/13/2009)
mmm I seriously love the smell of business in the morning...
Venom 4:32PM (7/13/2009)
As an owner of an AMG S class I can tell you first hand that BWM is correct.
These high horsepower big sedans are useless and I would not do it again.
If you want a sports car, buy a sports car and then get a decent luxury sedan for other driving. I don't even think I need anything this beg again. The 5 series or E class size if probably sufficient.
If I was to do it all over, a better choice would probably be a GT-R or Vette and a 530i.
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Venom 4:33PM (7/13/2009)
BMW.
Affalterbach 4:41PM (7/13/2009)
That's an interesting view you have on your S AMG. And here I was, in love with the idea of a 17-ft limousine that could do 0-60 in 4.3 secs.
Venom 4:47PM (7/13/2009)
Affalterbach,
The idea sounds better than the reality.
If you like pushing the gas when turning the corner and then spinning around and facing the other way then this is the car for you (yeah yeah I know, stupid driving, showing off).
Also, the sports tires give a terrible ride and if you live anywhere near potholes, beware. I enjoyed hitting a pothole coming out of a club at 3 miles an hour and then having the tire blow on the highway and then waiting 45 minutes for Mercedes Service to never come while I waited in the cold at 2 am in the winter and then having to call AAA who did.
It is fast and all that but in the real world, I am in the car with myself or 1 other person 90% of the time and you really can't go fast unless you like tickets or jail so I would rather have a good sedan and a great track car the next time around.
Greg 4:51PM (7/13/2009)
I think the low volume potential of a performance 7 Series, like that of the S class, is why BMW will leave it to Alpina.
zamafir 5:19PM (7/13/2009)
sounds about right, and with the BMW already outperforming the S8 and the XJ coming in regular iterations with up to 500hp, there does appear to be less of a need for one. though, as others have voiced, it's strange coming from the company who brought us the X6 M
JZeke 5:19PM (7/13/2009)
A lot of the respectable magazines (Evo, Car, Sports Car International) all came to the same conclusion, though none mentioned spinning the beast out...
Its good to hear an owner agree though. I see alot of these on the road here in Chicago, and I wonder why wasn't the regular S550 good enough?
You're completely right about getting 2 cars, not one poorly compromised one. Funny that a lot of buyers still elect to get the AMG anyway. The best was the cougar I passed in Florida in the rain on I95 in her S65. She was crawling on an otherwise clear road. That car is too much for Schumacher, let alone a gold-digging poser.
Toy Yoda 6:11PM (7/13/2009)
Actually Venom, I have a BMW 6, and by the same reasoning, I wouldn't buy a BMW 6, or a 5 ever again. I *may* get an Infiniti. Nearly 95% of the time, you never get to experience a high performance car anyways. You're better off saving the money.
I say *may* get an Infiniti, because you enjoy the thought of luxury, but the experience of it is quite different. You are parking your ass on a seat. Your ass doesn't care if it's luxury leather or cloth.
Alas, the smart people are the rich people driving Toyotas. The 40k you save will be going to a a rental income property making 20-33% return rate. I'd trade in luxury for not having to work these days. :)
zamafir 7:19PM (7/13/2009)
it's interesting when i read replies like that. I guess it all depends on your priorities. I use launch control whenever it's safe, routinely cruise at high velocities (which tend to be the flow of traffic in socal) and hit the canyon or track once a month. But i could see how most people in massive sedans with gobs of torque rarely have the chance to exploit said power, as it's really only exploitable in a straight line, and the last thing you'd see is some professional in their 50s down at the local drag strip with an AMG.
xtasi 4:46PM (7/13/2009)
Just like they said there would not be a M-ified X5
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eye.surgeon 4:57PM (7/13/2009)
They won't build an M7 but they will build those SUV abominations in M trim. I lost a lot of respect for BMW when they did that. What a sell-out.
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Trent 5:36PM (7/13/2009)
Every car company is trying to find ways to keep ther head about water and if BMW thinks they need to build each of their cars with an M in the name then so be it. They don't seem to be asking abyone for money right now and that is a good thing.
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dosdollar 6:10PM (7/13/2009)
Okay, enough of the X5, X6 M haters. Two points.
1. Some people (like myself) have several small children and a dog, and unfortunately an SUV/SAV is a viable option. One I'm even considering. I currently have a 7 series and will be buying a new car in the next 6 months. While my preference is either an M5 or CTS-V (they have 4 doors which I need) something like a X5 M or a Jeep SRT8 is a good alternative. When the fam isn't in the car- bamb! I can enjoy some blood-pumping driving. I'd even consider the Audi RS6 wagon if it was available here (or an M5 wagon or a V version of the new CTS wagon). Not ideal mind you but the realities of me need 4 doors and a lot of storage in the back.
2. Not many of you haters must be business owners or thinking hard enough about how difficult it is to make it in the auto world these days. Want the cool fun cars? Then most automakers are faced with the reality of having to produce a wide variety of cars to capture as much market share as they can. If BMW is sitting on the sidelines as AMG and Porsche are eating up the blown-out SUV market then why not? Idealists and dreamers are falling left and right when it comes to surviving in a competitive market.
Farris 6:34PM (7/13/2009)
Dosdollar:
The problem with the X5M and X6M is that the M-division said a while back that they would not do it because it didn't fit the brand image... then they turned around and did it anyway. IMO, that is basically telling all the couch-racers to start blasting them.