There isn’t much that can be hidden from the
Internet these days, certainly not if it’s the size of a limousine. Here, we
have the clearest view yet of the facelifted G11/G12 BMW 7 Series courtesy of
another Instagram post, this time by user Stan Rudman, which follows an
uncovering of the big German sedan earlier this week. Here, we also get a
clearer look at the facelifted car’s rear end, adorned with ‘745e’ badging.
This suggests the arrival of the plug-in hybrid
variant early in this facelifted model’s lifecycle. Whereas the outgoing 740e
employed a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol as part of its hybrid powertrain,
the 745e might see the use of the electrified straight-six from the G05 X5
xDrive45e, though this is unconfirmed.
Where that previous example appeared to wear a more
reserved front bumper, the light gold example here appears to wear M Sport
styling, which boasts of a trio of larger air intakes within the front bumper.
As before, this latest sighting of BMW’s flagship sedan flaunts its headlamps
with BMW Laserlight technology, as hinted by the blue arcs within each headlamp
assembly.
The rear bumper has also been redesigned with
integrated exhaust exits, while the tail lights now feature a more pronounced
three-dimensional shape that is in line with design cues of the German marque’s
latest models. There also appears to be a full-width light strip that runs
along the chrome strip joining the tail lights, in a manner similar to the
latest Audi A8.
In addition to the PHEV mentioned earlier, the 7
Series will most likely retain the full complement of 3.0 litre six-cylinder
petrols and diesels, a 4.4 litre biturbo petrol V8 and the 6.6 litre V12
currently in the M760Li. Further detail changes can be expected for the cabin
as well. So far, the G11/12 BMW 7 Series LCI is slated for a public debut at
the Geneva Motor Show in March.
