BMW Confirms Plan for Super-Luxury Model

BMW AG says it intends to add an ultra-luxury model above its big 7 Series sedan to compete with pricy Maybach editions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan.

BMW’s new car will target a price level of €150,000 ($167,300) and above, according Klaus Froehlich, the board member in charge of product development. The most expensive 7 Series sedan today retails for about €113,000 ($126,000) in Germany, according to Automotive News Europe.

A new model, which media reports say may be called the 9 Series, would help fill the large gap between the top end of BMW’s product lineup and the low end of the group’s Rolls-Royce ultra-luxury brand offerings.

The new model is likely to cater heavily to the Chinese market, where BMW’s focus on agile handling will count very little in the purchase decision, ANE says. The online newspaper notes that BMW has softened the suspension of its redesigned 7 Series to more closely emulate the cushy ride of a Mercedes S Class sedan.