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2026 BMW 7-Series: Calm Before the Facelift

The 2026 BMW 7-Series is in a holding pattern. With a mid-cycle refresh (or “LCI” in BMW-speak) scheduled for next year, this latest iteration doesn’t rock the boat. The big sedan carries over nearly untouched from last year — which itself was a mild continuation of the model that debuted three years ago. Think of it as the calm before Munich’s facelift storm.

That’s not to say there’s nothing new to talk about. The plug-in-hybrid 750e, which joined the lineup shortly after the G70 chassis launched, remains the big news for efficiency-minded luxury buyers. Beyond that, BMW is keeping its flagship sedan steady while it preps a more substantial update for 2027. If you happen to prefer the current look (and those split headlights still spark debate), now’s the time to buy. Production of this version runs through July 2026, when the facelift takes over.

Familiar Power, Familiar Refinement

BMW keeps the 7’s powertrain menu simple: a turbocharged inline-six or a twin-turbo V-8, both paired with ZF’s eight-speed automatic. The 740i and 740i xDrive feature the silky B58 3.0-liter straight-six, now rated at 375 horsepower — enough to move this sizable sedan with quiet authority.

Step up to the plug-in-hybrid 750e xDrive, and total system output jumps to 483 horses thanks to the combination of gas and electric power. It’s the sweet spot for many buyers, offering real electric range (35 miles) and a combined 70 MPGe rating without turning the 7-Series into an appliance. Even running on gas alone, it manages a respectable 24 mpg.

Then there’s the big dog: the 760i xDrive, with BMW M’s new S68 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8. It makes 536 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, sending the big sedan to 60 mph in a claimed 4.1 seconds. Sure, the old V-12 M760i was quicker, but we doubt anyone will feel shortchanged from behind the wheel—or stretched out in the right-rear seat.

If fuel economy matters to you, skip the V-8. The 740i rear-drive returns an EPA-estimated 25 mpg city and 31 highway, which dips slightly with xDrive. The 760i’s 18/25/20 mpg rating is the price of speed and twelve-cylinder nostalgia.

A Cabin That Still Defines the Class

Few interiors make as strong a first impression as the 7-Series’. Even the base car feels indulgent, trimmed in soft-touch materials and filled with ambient light. BMW’s synthetic “Veganza” upholstery is standard, but those who insist on leather can shell out anywhere from $1,850 (Extended Merino) to a wallet-thinning $7,300 (Full Merino).

As usual, the options list is long and temptingly luxurious. The massaging seats ($1,000) and ventilation ($500) are must-haves for frequent road trippers. The 7’s 19-cubic-foot trunk beats both the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Audi A8, though some of that space comes at the expense of cabin stretch-out room.

Tech remains a BMW strong suit. Every 7 comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital cluster, and a 14.9-inch central display running iDrive 8.5. The Premium Package ($1,750) brings extra driver-assist tech, along with an illuminated kidney grille—because subtlety is overrated. And for those chauffeured types, the available 31-inch rear Theater Screen is pure overkill in the best way.

Safe by Default

The 7-Series ships with a full suite of standard safety features—blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and multiple camera views. Spend a little more, and the car nearly drives itself. The $2,500 Driving Assistance Professional package adds hands-free highway driving and automatic lane changes, while the Premium Package adds adaptive cruise control and self-parking tech. It’s impressive, if not exactly groundbreaking for this price class.

The Price of Patience

Prices are up slightly this year: the 740i starts at $99,300, with xDrive adding $3,000. The 750e PHEV sits at $110,000, and the 760i V-8 at $124,700. Still, the 7-Series undercuts the Mercedes S-Class by roughly twenty grand. The Genesis G90 remains the budget play here, starting lower than the base BMW.

If you’re considering the 7-Series, the smart money says wait. The upcoming LCI is expected to deliver more meaningful updates—possibly new lighting elements, minor design revisions, and maybe even a reshaped iDrive controller. It won’t be a full Neue Klasse overhaul, but it’ll make the 7 look and feel fresher.

Until then, the 2026 7-Series remains a deeply polished, quietly confident luxury sedan that continues to do everything right—just not differently.

Source: BMWBlog

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BMW Lets the Driftbrothers Turn Its Munich Plant Into a Smoke Show

You don’t usually expect to see tire smoke rolling through BMW’s historic Munich plant. Robots? Sure. Precision engineering? Absolutely. But drifting? Not so much. That changed when Elias Hountondji—one half of the Red Bull Driftbrothers—brought his new BMW M2 Drift Competition inside the factory for a sideways spectacle unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

In a short film shot entirely inside BMW Group Plant Munich, Hountondji pilots his 1,100-horsepower M2 through the same assembly line where the car itself is being built. Panels, doors, bumpers, even the hood—all installed in real time as the car keeps sliding through the sequence. It’s a wild juxtaposition: tire smoke and torque against a backdrop of German manufacturing discipline.

The choreography is millimeter-perfect. Hountondji flicks the M2 between robotic arms, tool stations, and forklifts with terrifying precision, sometimes with mere inches to spare. The mixed surfaces of the plant—smooth concrete giving way to polished epoxy—keep the grip unpredictable, forcing constant adjustments in throttle and steering. One standout moment: a magnesium “wall tap” that showers sparks across the floor as the car stays perfectly sideways.

An M2 Like No Other

The machine doing the dance is far from stock. Built by the Driftbrothers’ own 229performance workshop, the M2 Drift Competition takes BMW M’s S58 twin-turbo straight-six and cranks it up to over 1,100 horsepower and 1,250 Nm of torque. Every inch of the car has been engineered for competitive drifting, with its racing debut set for the 2026 Drift Masters European Championship.

Under the hood, the S58 is fortified for continuous abuse. There’s a beefed-up cooling system, a reinforced block, custom chassis bracing, and extra strut supports—all to keep the car alive under the brutal combination of heat, boost, and lateral load that defines modern drifting. Nothing’s for show here; every mod is a necessity.

A Partnership That Keeps Evolving

This isn’t the Driftbrothers’ first rodeo with BMW M. The partnership began in 2021 with a pair of M4 Competition drift cars, also powered by the S58. Those builds became rolling laboratories for how far M engineering could be pushed beyond the road and track—into the world of smoke, angle, and style points.

The new M2 Drift Competition represents the next chapter: smaller, sharper, and more extreme. Lessons learned from years of development come together in a chassis that’s more agile and a powertrain tuned to absurd levels. It’s the distilled essence of BMW M’s engineering philosophy—precision meeting chaos.

After its tire-shredding factory debut, the car will be on display at BMW Welt in Munich from October 23 to November 5, 2025. If you’re nearby, it’s worth a visit. Seeing this compact monster in person, knowing it once drifted past robots and torque wrenches on the same floor, is about as surreal as it gets.

BMW built the plant for precision. The Driftbrothers brought passion, smoke, and spectacle. Together, they created something unforgettable—proof that even in a factory built for perfection, there’s still room for a little sideways fun.

Source: BMW

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BMW’s Renewable Diesel Verification Could Make Fleets Greener—Right Now

BMW is doing something refreshingly unsexy in its latest sustainability push. Instead of unveiling another concept EV or a carbon-neutral factory, Munich is focusing on the paperwork—specifically, the digital kind. The automaker is piloting a system that verifies when its fleet vehicles are filled with renewable diesel, creating a way to turn vague CO₂ claims into traceable, measurable data.

The project revolves around HVO100, a plant-based hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel that can slash life-cycle CO₂ emissions by as much as 90 percent compared with fossil diesel. The best part? Every BMW model built in Germany is already compatible with it—no engine mods, no special filters, no asterisks. So why isn’t every fleet switching? Because, until now, there’s been no foolproof way to prove a vehicle has been consistently running on the good stuff.

BMW’s new system fixes that. It connects vehicle telemetry with payment records, creating a digital trail for every refueling stop. Each liter of HVO100 can be verified, logged, and credited toward a fleet’s carbon reduction goals. That makes a company’s sustainability report more than just marketing—it’s measurable.

The system is already being tested in BMW’s internal demonstration fleet and is undergoing real-world evaluation. Meanwhile, talks with major fleet operators in Germany and Italy are in progress. If all goes according to plan, this could give corporate fleets an immediate, verifiable way to cut emissions—no new trucks, no waiting for charging networks to catch up.

It’s a pragmatic move, especially considering that diesel still powers a massive chunk of Europe’s commercial vehicles. Many of those will be on the road for another decade or more. Swapping to renewable diesel doesn’t turn them into Teslas, but it does turn down the CO₂ tap today—something regulators and investors both like to see.

Looking further ahead, BMW says it plans to bring synthetic eFuels into the mix starting in 2028, providing another alternative for gasoline-powered models. It’s part of a broader strategy to clean up existing vehicles rather than waiting for full electrification to solve everything.

The company is also urging European policymakers to step up implementation of RED III, the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive that targets a 30-percent greenhouse-gas reduction from fuels. In BMW’s view, better policy support could turn renewable fuels like HVO100 from niche experiments into a mainstream emissions fix.

For now, BMW’s verification tech is a quiet but clever play. In a world obsessed with the next big battery breakthrough, it’s a reminder that sometimes the greenest move is making sure the fuel pump tells the truth.

Source: BMW