Article Summary
- The updated M760e and i7 M70 launching this year will be joined by a third M Performance version in 2027.
- BMW claims it will have a “conventional V8 engine,” so it won’t be a plug-in hybrid like the M5 or XM.
- The new V8-powered 7 Series is likely a replacement for the 760i with a different name: M760.
UPDATE: The V8-powered M Performance 7 Series will come to Europe.
You won’t be able to buy a V8-powered 7 Series when the facelifted sedan goes on sale this year. That’s the bad news, but the good news is BMW still plans to put eight cylinders under that shapely new hood. Unveiled today, the G70 LCI will receive a brawny V8 in 2027, and that’s not all.
The hotter version will carry an M Performance badge, joining the M760e and the i7 M70. BMW isn’t willing to reveal the model’s identity just yet, but an educated guess suggests it will replace the 760i. The latter is predictably absent from the initial portfolio the company has lined up for the United States.
Like all gasoline-powered 7 Series models, the 760i’s successor will lose the “i” at the end of its name. Originally referencing “injection,” BMW will reserve the letter strictly for EVs going forward. Some BMWs have already adopted the new nomenclature, and the flagship is the latest to follow suit.
While the “i” disappears from the end of the name, the “M” will appear at the beginning. Expect BMW to call the V8-powered 7 Series the M760 when it arrives sometime next year. Given Munich’s plan to elevate the model to M Performance status, a power bump would make sense. As a refresher, the outgoing 760i delivers 536 horsepower. The “conventional V8 engine” wording leads us to believe it won’t be a plug-in hybrid like the M5 or XM.
Like those two M models, the 7 Series already used the S68 engine, but the updated luxobarge is reportedly switching to the S68TÜ1 revision. BMW has announced that the eight-cylinder model will be offered in Europe, despite the 760i being notably absent during the pre-LCI years.
The United States will likely be the primary market for the M760, though BMW is also expected to sell the hotter 7 Series in regions with more relaxed regulations, such as the Middle East.
The return of the M760 (well, minus the “i”) will be bittersweet. On one hand, it’s encouraging to see the V8 stick around for the second half of the G70’s lifecycle. On the other hand, the previous-generation M760i featured a mighty V12, an engine that has since become exclusive to Rolls-Royce.
The “N74” is highly unlikely to return to BMW, or even power future high-end BMW ALPINA models. The venerable twelve-cylinder will remain a Rolls-Royce-only affair, potentially well into the 2030s.
