The company has announced a bit of information about one version, the M850i. The big info right off the bat is it will have a V8 engine and it will make 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. Interestingly, the press release didn't specify the aspiration of the engine, but considering the high torque figure, it's safe to say it's probably turbocharged, more probably twin-turbocharged. BMW also noted that it's a thoroughly revised version of an existing engine, and makes about 67 more horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque more than the old model.
All this power is funneled through an 8-speed automatic transmission on its way to all four wheels. BMW says the all-wheel-drive system will be biased toward the rear where there is an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. It also sounds as though it will have a staggered wheel-and-tire setup, naturally with the wider tires at the back.
The new M850i will have some other electronic gizmos for the chassis. The suspension is electronically adjustable with active roll stabilization. The driving experience can naturally be tweaked with buttons from in the interior including normal, Sport and Sport+, and they all also affect the engine noise. BMW says normal is calibrated for comfortable cruising and the others make everything more aggressive.
BMW also announced that the new 8 Series will go on sale this year, but didn't get any more specific. Pricing wasn't announced, either. And although we have details on the M850i, we're still waiting on details for the expected M8 and, based on BMW's typical model lineups, probably a plain, non-M 8 Series below the M850i. We likely won't have to wait long since there are only months left before a full reveal.
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