BMW to offer six-cylinder 6 Series Coupe in America after all

Although we've already sunned ourself behind the wheel of the 2012 BMW 650i Convertible, we've been eagerly awaiting its 6 Series Coupe companion. BMW had led us to believe that only the twin-turbo V8 650i would make its way to North American consumers, but apparently, that ain't necessarily so. While we will indeed receive the 650i Coupe shown above on October 1 (slightly ahead of the rest of the world, we might add, which gets it mid-month), Autoblog has learned that buyers will also get the chance to own the less costly 640i model.

The 640i incorporates BMW's N55 twin-scroll single turbo six-cylinder and includes features not found on the V8 model, including a fuel-saving start-stop function. In European spec, the TwinPower Turbo 3.0-liter delivers 316 brake horsepower and 332 pound feet of torque through a standard ZF-source eight-speed automatic. (For comparison's sake, the 650i musters 400 hp and 450 lb-ft). In addition to the 640i, European Editor Matt Davis reports that a grips-at-all-corners xDrive variant will come on-line this fall, but only if you splurge for the V8 model.

The 650i Coupe will make its North American debut during the Pebble Beach festivities in Monterey, California this August, but the 640i won't be shown. Instead, your dealer will be able to place an order for you in September, with the very first customer cars expected to trickle in at the end of October.