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Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, BMW, Military, Beijing Motor Show, Design/Style

BMW Concept Gran Coupé - Click above for high-res image gallery

Four-door coupes are nothing new these days, what with vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Volkswagen CC proving that these stylish sedans do, in fact, have a place in the automotive world. What's more, Audi's swoopy A7 is nearing its final stages of development, and higher-end coupe-sedans like the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera have indeed caught our attention in recent months. BMW is now jumping on that train, and the automaker has officially debuted its Concept Gran Coupé at this year's Beijing Motor Show.

Strip away the rear doors, and the design of the Gran Coupé is awfully close to what we'll see on the next-generation 6 Series. The sporty, flat design of the concept is really stunning, and BMW points out that the Gran Coupé is actually 100 millimeters (four inches) flatter than both the 5 and 7 Series sedans. Combine that with frameless doors and LED lighting all around and what we have here is a rather stunning design.

BMW is one of the only luxury automakers not currently participating in the four-door coupe niche market, and we won't be surprised if a production version of the Gran Coupé hits the streets within the next couple of years. Even so, we're interested to see how this new design language influences the rest of the automaker's portfolio, even beyond the 6 Series. Hit the jump to read BMW's official press release and click through the gallery below to see high-res images of the stylish new concept.

Gallery: Beijing 2010: BMW Concept Gran Coupe

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Beijing 2010: BMW surprises with Concept Gran Coupé

Beijing 2010: BMW surprises with Concept Gran Coupé originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[PONTIAC06]

I like it, but it doesn't seem like a very dramatic 'coupe' design compared to others... I feel like this is what the 5 series should have been...

[Dodgefan]

I really, really like this. First BMW since the M3 debuted that I honestly like. It's very clean and sleek, with nice detailing. None of the stupid flame surface random lines, and the front doesn't look like it ran into a wall like the current 7 Series does.

It's not as head turning as say, the CLS, but it's got that timeless, clean styling BMWs have lacked for a while.

[ZL-1]

If those are the 6-Series front and rear fascias then wow... very good looking it will be (pardon the Yoda sentence-building)

[ocnblu]

Some four door "coupes" are more successful than others. I always loved the Benz and the VW, for example, but this... well, it takes over as my new fave on this concept. I hope it gets built.

[Cubical-aka-Moltar]

That's the best looking 4dr sedan design from BMW in recent years. Looks close to production.

[smk4565]

That is a great looking vehicle, why didn't they make the 5 or 7 series look like that? At 197 inches long though, that is a pretty big car. Hopefully the 6-series looks similar, because the current 6-series is ugly. The 5-series and 7-series look rather boring compared to the Gran Coupe, perhaps they can do a 3-series with a similar look to this.

[regfootball]

That is a great looking vehicle, why didn't they make the 5 or 7 series look like that? At 197 inches long though, that is a pretty big car. Hopefully the 6-series looks similar, because the current 6-series is ugly. The 5-series and 7-series look rather boring compared to the Gran Coupe, perhaps they can do a 3-series with a similar look to this.

[FloydHendershot]

About time. Something from BMW I would consider. Been a while.

[Nick]

Now that is a good looking BMW. I like it as a 4-door, but I'm not so sure I'll like it as a 2-door (6-series).