Significant updates demand a new badge.
German luxury automotive powerhouse BMW may be patting themselves on the back for delivering 100,000 electrified vehicles last year, but they’re pretty clear with where they’re headed in order to maintain that momentum. At the very top of BMW’s lineup, the 7-Series limousine serves as a penultimate expression of what it means to carry the blue and white roundel, but is also a display for the very greatest technological innovations for the brand, which of late, have been focused on powertrain electrification.
At present, electrification comes exclusively in 740e guise (or 740Le for the long-wheelbase model), and when the present car undergoes its mid-life update late this year/early next year, that model is expected to receive significant under-the-skin changes. If the report from BMW Blog is to be believed, the 745e will retain the same 2.0-litre turbocharged mill that’s presently doing service in the 740e, though its electric powertrain will be updated with denser batteries and a more powerful motor. As such, the 740e’s combined output of 243kW will be bumped up to 290kW in the 745e, and electric cruising range is also expected to see a bump.
Wireless charging will also be fitted to the 7er for the first time when the facelift arrives, integrating a technology first seen on the 530e. Changes planned for the model will likely see sale be boosted to a degree, though BMW admits that sales of its electrified limousine already exceeds expectations.
Beyond the powertrain, the facelift BMW 7-Series will also get a Live Cockpit digital instrument display, first seen on the Concept 8-Series and new Z4. Production of the facelift 7er will begin in March 2019.
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