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2023 BMW 7 Series and i7 Electric Prototypes Show Self-Driving Tech

Despite having been introduced five years ago, the current-generation BMW 7 Series is not exactly long in the tooth technology wise. It’s not exactly old-fashioned when it comes to design either, as the mid-cycle facelift made it the first Bimmer of the modern era to feature that gigantic kidney grille.
2023 BMW 7 Series 28 photos
Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
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What many people failed to recognize was that the current BMW 7 Series facelift, or LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) as BMW calls it, is also a small preview of things to come on the next generation of the luxury sedan.

According to some insider information, corroborated by what recent spy photos of the car appear to be showing, the 2023 BMW 7 Series will feature a mix of old-school proportions and design features with a futuristic look that has only been slightly previewed by its facelifted predecessor.

We don’t want to call it retro, but the car will surely bring back some older BMW sedans memories.

The overall proportions clearly evoke the first two generations of the 7 Series, with the trunk lid having a slight downward angle instead of being horizontal, while the clearly visible and very old-school Hofmeister kink in the rear doors is a pleasant addition as well.

You can have a look at the BMW iX electric crossover for a decent foretaste of what you can expect the interior design of the new 7 Series to feature, with most of the dashboard covered in screens that use the much debated ‘floating look.’

Just like its predecessor, the next 7 Series will be based on an aluminum and carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers chassis, while all its powertrains will be electrified.

The most electrified, so to speak, will be the i7, which will be a separated model heavily based on the 7 Series but powered strictly by electric motors that take their juice from a huge li-ion battery.

Spy photographers recently caught three separate 2023 BMW 7 Series and i7 pre-production prototypes, each showing some of the technology we can expect from the future flagship sedans from Munich.

By far, the most interesting one is probably what appears to be a Lidar sensor positioned right above the redesigned kidney grille on a prototype, which makes us think BMW will try to offer Level 4 autonomous driving on the seventh generation of the 7 Series.
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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