The Most Powerful Next-Generation BMW 7 Series Will Be Electric

We've already seen spy shots of early mules with the new 7 Series being tested with conventional and fully electric powertrains, and now BMW is finally ready to talk a bit about its revamped flagship. During the Annual Accounts Press Conference 2020, Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, formally announced plans to offer the next-generation 7 Series as a pure electric model.

He went on to mention the completely silent version of the fullsize luxury sedan will be offered alongside conventionally powered models running on gasoline and diesel. In addition, the Audi A8 and Mercedes S-Class rival will also be available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain as a follow up to today's 745Le.

While plans for a zero-emissions 7 Series aren't all that surprising given the test mules carrying "electric test vehicle" stickers, Oliver Zipse made another interesting reveal. He announced the most powerful version of the next-gen car will actually be the EV. As to whether it will be called "i7" since that would make the most sense, it remains to be seen.

He didn't go into any details about how much power it will offer, but he did mention all four types of powertrains will be based on a single architecture. The most powerful 7 Series on sale today is the $157,700 M760i with a twin-turbo 6.6-liter V12 producing 601 horsepower. We wouldn't get our hopes up too high about the next 7er getting the powerhouse as BMW recently said it's costly to update the twelve-cylinder mill to make it meet more stringent emissions, especially since demand is not exactly strong to justify the financial effort.

With our spies catching on camera only test mules, it means an official reveal of the new 7 Series won't happen anytime soon. Chances are BMW plans to unveil its new range topper sometime in 2022 and the model could arrive in the United States as a 2023MY.