The image does not reveal a lot, except what looks like bigger double kidney grille comprising vertical louvres that angled inwards at the top and eating into the bonnet, giving it a three-dimensional look. Also revealed are a new wheel design and strips of chrome garnishing the bumper.
The huge grille resembles that in the X7, the latest and largest model in the X series line-up, which will have its market launch in March 2019. The X7 features the largest grille ever designed for a BMW model.
The "in-your-face" grille for the 7 Series will feature active grille shutters that automatically closes the slats for better aerodynamics and opens up when the engine needs more cooling. This grille design is also seen in the upcoming G20 3 Series and G05 X5.
The sixth-generation G11/G12 7 Series began production in 2015, so it is about time for some changes that BMW dubs as Life Cycle Impulse (LCI). BMW applies the nip and tuck to all models around three years into the model year to freshen them up to hold buying interest and as a bulwark against the competition.
We can also expect some tech upgrades from current models to cascade into the new 7 Series. The latest iDrive, an improved digital instrument cluster and the current BMW Operating System 7.0, introduced last year, come to mind.
BMWBlog reported the new 7 Series will get uprated turbocharged inline-six cylinder, V8 and V12 petrol engines that offer from 340hp to 600hp.
The 745e plug-in hybrid performance is also due for a boost, and it is likely to boast overall output of 388hp and 600Nm when it rolls off the production line.
Come March, Malaysian journalists will be going to Europe to get acquainted with the refreshed 7 Series, whose production will also begin in the same month.
An image of what is believed to be the facelifted 7 Series.
See the family resemblance as shown in the new X5 grille (above) and 3 Series grille (below). Both models will start selling in Malaysia in 2019.
