AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)12/09 Report--

On December 9, the new generation of BMW 7-Series officially launched in China, with a total of new models with a price range of-10,000 yuan. For comparison, the new BMW 7-Series model is on sale at a guiding price of 82.8-2.612 million yuan in the Chinese market. It is understood that the new car is the seventh generation of BMW 7-Series products, based on the new generation of CLAR architecture, appearance and interior decoration are using a new design style, power will provide fuel version, pure electric version (BMW i7), plug-in hybrid version of three kinds of power for consumers to choose.

In terms of appearance, the new BMW 7-Series adopts a more subversive design style. the most obvious change is that the front air grille is further enlarged and octagonal, and it is decorated with a circular light belt, making the overall outline sharper. In addition, the new generation of BMW 7-Series uses split headlights, in which the upper two-stage daytime driving lights are crystal clear, and the lower far and near light groups are integrated with the bumper when they are off. This design style has been used in a number of new BMW cars, such as the medium-term BMW X7, the medium-term BMW 3-Series and so on.

As for the BMW i7, its iconic double-kidney grille does not use the closed design common to electric cars. The outside is inclined to a stretched square, the inside is a vertical waterfall decorative strip, and the interior is a fully closed design. In addition, the grille of the BMW i7 is made of crystal glass with embedded lighting elements, which can effectively improve the recognition of the vehicle at night.

On the side of the body, the new BMW 7-Series C-column uses a similar slip-back styling design, as well as an embedded door handle similar to the BMW iX. In the rear part, the new generation of BMW 7-Series adopts a narrower taillight group shape, which reduces the hierarchy of the whole rear and adopts hidden exhaust layout at the same time. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new BMW 7-series long axle version are 5391/1950/1548mm and the wheelbase is 3215mm, which is larger than that of the previous BMW 7-series long-wheelbase model. Compared with Mercedes-Benz S-class long wheelbase and Audi A8L, except that the wheelbase is similar to Mercedes-Benz S-class long wheelbase models, the other three data are in the leading position.

In terms of interior, the new BMW 7-Series uses a dual screen design of 12.3 inches and 14.9 inches, which can be seen on the medium-term revamped BMW X7 and BMW IX, and a large number of crystal accessories are used in the car to enhance the sense of luxury. At the same time, it is equipped with a flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel, following the principle of "Shy Tech" invisible technology, the number of physical keys of the whole vehicle has been greatly reduced, and the center console has indeed simplified a lot compared with previous models. In addition, the back row is also the highlight of the new BMW 7-Series, which features a "suspended screen" integrated on the top of the vehicle, a 31-inch 8K resolution display and 32:9 panoramic mode.

In the power part, the new BMW 7-Series will provide fuel version, pure electric version (BMW i7) and plug-in hybrid version for consumers to choose from. Among them, the fuel version of the BMW 7 series is equipped with a 3.0T in-line six-cylinder engine with high and low power adjustment, of which the high-power version (735Li) has a maximum power of 272hp and peak torque of 400Nm, while the high-power version (740Li) has a maximum power of 381hp and a peak torque of 540Nm. The plug-in hybrid version is equipped with 2.0T high-power engine + motor, the maximum power of the system is 571hp, the peak torque is 800Nm, and the 0-100km/h acceleration time is 4.3s.

The data show that the BMW 7 Series is the top flagship car of the BMW Group, which is only produced in Germany. The first generation model was born in 1977, the second generation BMW 7 Series was launched in 1986, the third generation model was launched in 1994, the fourth generation model was launched in 2002, the fifth generation model was launched in 2009, the sixth generation model was launched in 2015, and the BMW 7 Series currently on sale in China is the sixth generation mid-term modified model, launched in 2019. According to the rhythm of BMW Group's product planning, the life cycle of the model is about seven years, and the new seventh-generation BMW 7-Series (G70/G71) will be launched this year.

The most direct competitors of the BMW 7-Series are the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Audi A8L, of which the Mercedes-Benz S-Class will be launched in China on January 29, 2021, while the Audi A8 will also launch a medium-term revamped model this year. The data show that the risks of Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Audi A8L in the domestic market in 2021 are 23456, 22287 and 15646 respectively, while those of the three models from January to October this year are 21739, 12504 and 8704 respectively. It is not difficult to see from the data that the sales of the BMW 7-Series have always been lower than that of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but better than the Audi A8L, it is unclear whether the changes in the appearance and interior of the new BMW 7-Series will lead to a new market situation.

With the development of electrification trend, luxury brand manufacturers have launched the layout of pure electric flagship cars. As the pure electric version of the new BMW 7-Series, the BMW i7 is basically the same as the fuel version in appearance and interior. the competitors will still be the old rival Mercedes-Benz EQS (107.96-1.5186 million yuan) and the Audi Grandsphereproduction version that will be put into production in the future. Looking at the whole automobile market, BBA, which has occupied a dominant position in the field of fuel vehicles, whether it can complete the "elephant turn" to win the market position of pure electric luxury cars will be an important focus of the automobile market in the next five to ten years. By the end of 2025, BMW expects to deliver a total of 2 million pure electric vehicles worldwide, with one out of every four new cars sold in China.

Gaulle, President and CEO of BMW Group Greater China, said: "BMW Group is full of confidence in the long-term development prospects of the Chinese market. As the world's largest automobile market and one of the main drivers of innovation, China provides a perfect stage for BMW to implement the group's overall strategy. We will continue to increase investment in China, deepen cross-industry cooperation, and rapidly expand the array of pure electric vehicles. Adhering to the principle of 'home in China', BMW Group will spare no effort to continue to move forward in the three directions of electrification, digitization and cyclic carbon reduction. "

Figures show that 1.7479 million vehicles (including MINI and Rolls-Royce) were sold worldwide in the first three quarters of 2022, down 0.9 per cent from a year earlier. In the Chinese market, BMW Group delivered 593000 vehicles (including the MINI brand) in the Chinese market in the first three quarters, down 11.6% from the same period last year, higher than Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

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