BMW Concept CS

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BMW surprised everyone with their Shanghai antics today. Showing that they can play the four-door coupe game as well as Mercedes, Aston and Porsche, the Bavarians unveiled their Concept CS. Expected to become BMW's new flagship model (8-series, perhaps?), the CS is believed to be almost production-ready. It sits on the newest 7-series platform under development, extending the length and width of the current 7 by a couple of inches, while dropping the roofl by a good five inches. it measures in at 200.8 inches long, 78 inches wide, and just 53.5-inches high. Even with the extra acreage, the CS is a four-seater only, with two sculpted seats in back.

Mercedes-Benz started this sport sedan/4-door coupe craze with its CLS, but this will be a larger, and likely more expensive, vehicle along the lines of the upcoming Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide. This Concept CS also shows us where the next iteration of BMW design is headed. Although his previous designs have been met with mixed reactions, designer Chris Bangle continues to use "flame surfacing" for complex curves that wouldn't have been possible with old manufacturing techniques. The CS feels like an evolution of that philosophy with sharper edges and swoopier surfaces all around. Underhood we'll find a 6.0-liter V12, which is essentially the M5 5.0-liter V10 with two extra cylinders. That's a nice modular motor for BMW if that ends up being the case, with 10-cylinder, 12-cylinder, and V8 versions used across the Motorsport models.
BMW Concept CS