BMW’s flagship sedan is about to get a dose of its own future. The seventh-generation 7-Series (internal code G70) is preparing for a mid-cycle update in 2026, and while the changes on the outside seem modest, what’s happening beneath the sheetmetal—and inside the cabin—could redefine Munich’s luxury benchmark.

Familiar Face, Fresh Tech

Spy shots suggest that BMW isn’t about to shock the world with a radical redesign. The polarizing split-headlight setup and the gaping kidney grille—love them or hate them—are staying. Designers are reportedly refining details around the bumpers and lights, but the basic face of the 7 remains unmistakably… large.

Inside, though, things are taking a turn for the futuristic. BMW is giving its flagship the full Neue Klasse treatment, debuting the brand’s latest iDrive X infotainment system paired with Panoramic Vision—a wide, pillar-to-pillar projection at the base of the windshield. The setup essentially replaces traditional gauges, extending across the entire dashboard and even letting passengers customize their own display area. Think of it as BMW’s version of a digital cockpit gone widescreen.

Inline-Six, Upgraded

The real story for enthusiasts, however, sits under the hood. BMW is reportedly upgrading its venerable B58 inline-six to the B58TÜ3 specification for the facelifted 740. That means a healthy bump to 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, up from 375 hp and 383 lb-ft in the current 740i. It’s not the wildest B58 tune we’ve seen—Toyota’s Supra A90 Final Edition still leads with 429 hp—but it’s enough to make the refreshed 7-Series a touch quicker and even smoother.

Interestingly, the naming convention is changing too. Gas models will drop the “i” from their badges, so expect to see “740” instead of “740i” on the trunk lid. The lineup will also include a 735 variant with 286 hp, using the same updated engine in a detuned state.

Electrified Expansion

BMW isn’t forgetting its electric ambitions. The facelift arrives with a full spread of i7 models, including the i7 50 xDrive, i7 60 xDrive, and the high-performance i7 M70 xDrive. Production kicks off in July 2026, followed by diesel and plug-in hybrid additions—740d xDrive, 750e xDrive, and the M760e xDrive—that November. One notable absence? The V8-powered 760, which insiders suggest may skip the U.S. market until 2027, if it makes it at all.

ALPINA’s Touch of Elegance

As always, ALPINA will get its hands on the luxury flagship. The Buchloe-based tuner is planning three versions of the updated model—740 xDrive, 760 xDrive, and i7 70 xDrive—each dressed with the brand’s trademark elegance and subtle aggression. Expect signature multi-spoke wheels, exclusive interior details, and torque-rich performance that blurs the line between serenity and speed.

Looking Ahead

If the rumors hold true, the 2026 facelift will give the 7-Series more than a fresh face—it’ll serve as a bridge between BMW’s combustion-powered past and its Neue Klasse future. The styling may not shock, but the tech and hardware underneath promise to push the brand’s luxury flagship deeper into tomorrow.

Source: BMW

For decades, if you were a German Chancellor being whisked through Berlin traffic with a briefcase full of state secrets and a convoy of flashing blue lights, there was really only one acceptable choice of wheels: the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Guard. A rolling fortress in a three-pointed star suit. But times change — and apparently, so do political bodyguards.

According to Der Spiegel, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) — the outfit that protects Germany’s top brass, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier — has awarded its latest armored limo contract to BMW. Specifically, Munich’s new 7 Series Protection, internal code G73.

Yes, you read that right: the country’s most powerful people are swapping Stuttgart for Munich. That’s like the Royal Family trading in their Bentley for a Range Rover. Quietly seismic.

Not Just a Beefed-Up Beemer

You might think this is just a regular 7 Series that’s been down to Halfords for some bulletproof glass and a few Kevlar panels. You’d be wrong. The 7 Series Protection is built from the ground up as an armored car — no bolt-on bodge jobs here.

At its heart lies BMW’s “Protection Core,” a self-supporting cocoon made from high-strength steel that’s baked directly into the chassis and roof frame. This gives the car a 360-degree shield against high-caliber gunfire and small explosives. It’s less “reinforced limousine” and more “luxury tank with massage seats.”

The glass alone could probably stop a rhino in full charge, while the underbody armor laughs in the face of grenades and drone-dropped explosives. The result meets VPAM 10 certification, which, if you’re not fluent in ballistic ratings, is about as high as it gets for civilian vehicles. It’ll shrug off fire from 7.62 × 54 mm R rounds — the sort you’d normally associate with Russian sniper rifles.

Fire and Fury, V8 Edition

While BMW also builds an all-electric i7 Protection (for heads of state who like their eco-credentials as bulletproof as their doors), the BKA has opted for something a bit more… traditional. The 760i Protection. Under the bonnet sits a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, mildly electrified and producing a healthy 544 horsepower.

That’s not a powertrain you’ll find in your local German dealership — this one’s exclusive to government duty. And while the whole package tips the scales at over 4,000 kilograms, BMW’s engineers have fettled the chassis, suspension, and brakes to ensure that when the sirens blare, the big Beemer can still shift like an express train on the Autobahn.

The Michelin PAX run-flats can keep the car moving at 80 km/h even with no air left in the tires, and the self-sealing fuel tank means that even a direct hit won’t turn the cabin into a fireball. Handy, that.

The Armored Penthouse

Inside, it’s business as usual — if your business is conducted from a mobile five-star suite. Buyers (or rather, federal procurement officers) can spec the same Executive Lounge seats, massage functions, cool box, and Bowers & Wilkins sound system as the civilian 7 Series.

The BMW Curved Display and Protection Command Touch System blend infotainment with intelligence, letting the driver control everything from the intercom to the exterior lights and secure communication links — all from within a cocoon quieter than the Bundestag after budget cuts.

A Symbolic Win for Munich

This isn’t just a sales victory for BMW; it’s a changing of the guard — literally. For decades, Mercedes ruled the corridors of German power, its S-Class synonymous with authority and discretion. Now, BMW’s Dingolfing plant — where the Protection models are hand-assembled alongside the standard 7 Series and i7 — becomes the new nerve center of Germany’s state mobility.

So the next time you spot a sleek black 7 Series silently gliding through Berlin with tinted glass and a convoy in tow, remember: that’s not just another luxury limo. That’s the Federal Republic’s fortress on wheels — faster than fear, tougher than politics, and possibly the most important BMW ever built.

Source: BMW