The 6-Series was brought back by the carmaker in 2004, however it did not have the same sleek appearance as the diest-generation vehicle, which was sold until 1989. But the second-generation BMW 6-Series also garnered interest. Following that, the automobile company once more consigned the 6-Series to oblivion in 2018, leaving just the 6-Series GT, which was merely a rebadged 5-Series GT.
Due to the demise of the 4-Series, BMW could now reintroduce the 6-Series as a coupe and convertible. According to BMW Blog, there will be significant technological innovation and electrification over the next four years. Sometime in 2026, the new 6-Series model might be available for purchase.
In an interview with Which Car, BMW CTO Frank Weber stated that the automaker’s future New Class (NKL) architecture would eventually support each and every BMW vehicle. A highly emotive form, either a unicorn-hybrid or an electric halo, is also said to be on the way. A production-ready version of Vision M Next or a rebirth of the i8 could be on the horizon for the German luxury automaker.
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Let’s Discuss the New Design of the BMW 4 Series (G22)
The next generation of BMW premium vehicles is one of the unconfirmed subjects. The existing BMW 4 Series and 8 Series vehicles will combine to form the BMW 6 Series, which may be an older family depending on how you look at it. According to rumors, the venerable brand will make a comeback in 2026 with a new line of cars built on the Neue Klasse platform. The Gran Coupe model, the last remaining 8 Series model, is rumored to join the 7 Series roster in the future.
The latter component is consistent with what we have already heard. The Gran Coupe is the only model to continue in the same format in a new generation because it leads the 8 Series sales report. At the same time, insiders claim that the 8 Series family’s future is still up in the air. Additionally, there will probably be a pause between the conclusion of the current 8 Series production and the start of the following one. Given that a new BMW platform will be available in 2025, electrification would open up a whole new range of possibilities for the 8 Series. BMW will have more freedom to experiment with new body shapes if it switches to entirely electric models because EV powertrains make creating new cars more simpler.
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Frank Weber, the chief technical officer at BMW, was extensively interviewed by Australia’s Which Car magazine. Nearly every topic of interest to BMW devotees, both new and old, was covered in the article, including the automaker’s design philosophy, halo cars, and how to keep cars modern when technology advances so quickly relative to vehicle generation cycles. However, out of the piece’s almost 1,700 words, about 47 words in one paragraph that have nothing to do with Weber have become the story: According to rumors, the 4 and 8 Series will be combined into a new 6 Series line by BMW product planners in 2026. According to the speculation, the 8 Series Gran Coupe will be the final vehicle from both lineups to survive. But because it will be incorporated into the 7 Series lineup, it won’t be an 8 Series anymore.
If this were to happen, it would be “simply little parts of history repeating,” as Shirley Bassey once sang. The first 6 Series model debuted in 1976 and remained a shark-nosed icon of stunning badassery until 1989. The first stunning but underwhelming 8 Series debuted in 1990 and persisted until persistent underwhelming sales led BMW to discontinue it in 1999. The 6 Series made a comeback in 2004, not quite as crisp as the first, but still able to captivate a very particular and committed audience. BMW would give the 6 a second generation before finally burying it in 2018 save for the lone 6 Series GT, which was essentially a renamed 5 Series GT. The 8 Series was later brought back to life by the Munich carmaker in 2018, but sales were much slower than before. So, if the rumor about a third act for the 6 Series is true, it will only be the most recent installment in a long-running story.
According to BMW Blog, it obtained this information from its own sources. On the other hand, the demise of the 4 Series could be justified as a result of coupe and convertible sales continuing their downward trends. On the one hand, as the BMW Blog notes, there will be significant technological and electrical advancements over the next four years that may change consumer preferences. However, 2026 is only four years away, which means BMW is definitely quite close to making a choice about the 4er.
Weber’s statement that the next New Class (NKL) platform, which will eventually support every BMW, may easily pave the way for “a highly-emotional car” may interest enthusiasts as well. This might be either an i8 rebirth or a production version of the Vision M Next, the unicorn hybrid or electric halo car that whisperers can’t stop talking about.
But don’t be hesitant to visit Which Car and read the entire interview; there’s a ton more there.
The 4-Series and 8-Series coupes and cabriolets may be replaced by the new BMW 6-Series.
While the market for two-door coupe and convertible vehicles is gradually contracting, SUVs are continuing to grow in every market class. In light of this, a recent rumor claims that BMW is seriously considering bringing back the 6-Series as a replacement for the 4-Series and 8-Series coupe and convertible versions.
The story was started by auto journalist Georg Kacher, who last week spoke with BMW’s Director of Development, Frank Weber, for the Australian publication Wheels. According to the journalist, who cited insiders at the Bavarian carmaker as sources, the 6-Series, which would combine the 4-Series and the 8-Series into one model, might make a comeback in 2026.
This would enable BMW to discontinue four two-door models while providing a serviceable substitute for its consumers. The 6-Series could be sportier than its predecessors as a stand-alone vehicle, competing with rival luxury GTs.
The four-door 8-Series Gran Coupe may be the only model to remain from the 8-Series lineup, with its replacement joining the 7-Series family in the more upscale market. With the convenience of four doors and a sizable boot, a sexier and sportier Gran Coupe model based on the 7-Series flagship would unquestionably make sense, however we should always take everything with a grain of salt. At the same time, it would receive the newest technological innovations from BMW, which are anticipated to debut in the fully electric i7 sister and the upcoming 7-Series.
The vintage E24 (1976–1989), the Bangle-era E63 (2003–2010), and the more current F12 (2011–2018), which was the first to be offered in Gran Coupe configuration, are the three generations of two-door cars in the BMW 6-Series lineage. The model abandoned tradition in 2017 and is now only available as the 6-Series GT, which is the 5-Series GT’s replacement. The latter will probably no longer exist at the conclusion of its life cycle because the modest sales, albeit up from the previous incarnations, do not warrant the expense of a replacement.
Creating a new 6-Series using the BMW 4-Series and 8-Series?
Sales of more conventional car styles like sedans, coupes, and convertibles are falling as everyone and their dog is eager to park an SUV or pickup on the driveway.
This also applies to the luxury market, where BMW may decide to respond by replacing both its 4-Series and 8-Series with a new 6-Series.
Yes, a new 6-Series will replace both the 4-Series and the 8-Series in 2026, according to the sources of Australia’s Which Car. Fans of BMW will notice that the change would be a reversal because the current 8-Series superseded the previous 6-Series upon its launch in 2018.
The 8-Series Gran Coupe, which would be introduced to the 7-Series family after its facelift, would be the only model to survive the purported culling of the 4-Series and 8-Series.
There aren’t many sales that any new 6-Series would need to make up for as the combined sales of the 4-Series and 8-Series in the U.S. last year were just around 30,000 vehicles. BMW would be able to save development expenses by using a single nameplate at the same time.
Mercedes-Benz has already started to phase out the SLK-Class, S-Class coupe and convertible, and AMG GT Roadster in accordance with this policy. Only the new AMG SL and AMG GT coupe remain to fill that void. Additionally, it is said that the present C-Class and E-Class coupes and convertibles would be replaced with a single moniker known as the CLE-Class, suggesting that Mercedes still has some trimming to do.
In order to replace the 4 and 8 Series, BMW may revive the 6 Series.
According to rumors, BMW is thinking about changing its lineup once more, and the 6 Series is expected to make a comeback. If allowed, the proposed comeback would take place in 2026 and signal the end of the 4 Series and the 8 Series as we currently know them.
The vehicle in question would be the coupe and cabriolet versions of the 4 Series and the 8 Series. According to insiders, the 8 Series Gran Coupe will continue to be offered but under a different name because it will eventually be “integrated” into the 7 Series family.
Although the modifications being thought about for the BMW lineup are not yet official, they were cited as rumors in an interview with the business’s Chief Technical Officer, Frank Weber. Unless they are refuted or validated by company representatives, rumors are typically not brought up in interviews.
If they were mere rumors, the Australians at Which Car would not have brought them up in the discussion of the New Class from the business. We should emphasize that these claims are still far from being verified.
If the 6 Series stays true to its predecessors’ design or if its purpose is made plain, its return might make sense. Such cars, as well as “highly-emotional” ones, would be available without incurring significant development expenditures thanks to the company’s new platform, NKL, also known as the New Class.
The 6 Series was initially constructed on the platform of the 5 Series and was essentially superseded in the lineup by the 8 Series. The latter was in the right place at the wrong moment, and due to weak sales, it was eliminated without a replacement. Early in the new millennium, BMW brought back the 6 Series, resulting in the birth of two new iterations of the car.
Years later, the current version of the 8 Series virtually replaced the Coupe, Convertible, and Gran Coupe models in the 6er line, and the roles between the 6 and the 8 were repeated like clockwork. The 5 Series GT was effectively replaced by the 6 Series GT, which continued to exist under a different moniker.
With all of that in mind, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if BMW decides to repeat the process, but this time using the 6 in place of the 8 and the 4. Although we won’t know for sure until after a few years have passed, we will in four years.
BMW intends to combine the 4 and 8 Series into a new 6 Series.
BMW discontinued its large 6 Series vehicle when it became clear that customers weren’t buying it. It would soon make a comeback as the current BMW 8 Series, but even that hasn’t had a secure future. Despite this, there were speculations of a 6 Series comeback two years ago. These rumors are currently resurfacing, albeit in a different form.
According to WhichCar?, as SUVs and crossovers continue to gain popularity, demand for coupe and convertible body styles is declining. BMW wants to expand the electrified powertrain across all crossover series models for precisely this reason. However, several coupe series cars will soon undergo a consolidation rethink, which might lead to the creation of a whole new 6 Series.
The BMW 4 Series and 8 Series models might combine to become a new 6 Series in 2026, which would be something to watch out for. This would mark the badge’s comeback after the F13 generation car was retired in 2018. Unnamed sources also state that the 8 Series brand will be kept, but only for a Gran Coupe that might be built on the 7 Series’ base.
The brand is rumored to be planning to officially unveil its Neue Klasse (NK) platform once this model is introduced, therefore the following 6er will almost probably be an electric-focused model. Unfortunately, there isn’t much more information available beyond this, and it seems weird to get rid of the badge that supports the lucrative M4.
The Neue Klasse will have a layout that is completely adjustable and will serve as the foundation for the entire brand lineup. The Cluster Architecture (CLAR) got very close to doing this. Although it will have some internal combustion engines, the NK architecture’s primary goals are connection and electromobility.
Revival rumors for the BMW 6 Series are nothing new. There were rumors that the Bavarian automaker wanted to resurrect the badge as a concentrated sportscar to compete with the Porsche 911 and Mercedes-AMG GT back in 2016. At the time, Adrian van Hooydonk, the design director, called it “a wonderful notion,” but he made no more promises. Perhaps all will change in 2022.