New BMW Alpina i7 Spied In Testing, But What Will Make It Special?

BMW's Alpina division potentially has yet another version of the 7-Series coming to production. Recently, a gas-powered possible successor to the B7 was spotted testing in Germany. Now, an EV i7-based vehicle was spied traipsing around covered in camouflage. 

The vehicle in question is long, sleek, and certainly luxurious like every other 7-Series, but the biggest question is what the Alpina treatment will look like. If the gas-powered version is any indicator, there will certainly be exclusive wheels and exterior bits and baubles to denote the Alpina upgrade, but the interior is still bit of a mystery. 

Alpina, since being completely enveloped by the BMW brand just this year, has yet to release a vehicle under the new arrangement and only concepts and teaser photos have been revealed thus far. The Alpina 7-Series will be the first new Alpina to hit the market in a few years. Whatever it is, it will likely be a lot faster and more comfortable than the current 7-Series.

An Alipina model will also be much more expensive. It's almost guaranteed that the starting price will be well over $100,000, as Alpinas from the past have been. As it stands, the current "base model" i7 sits at a cool $106,200 and offers a maximum range of an estimated 373 miles. The highest trim i7 currently available, the i7 60 xDrive offers 536 horsepower and an estimated range of 362 miles, all for $124,700. It's likely that the Alpina i7 will at least exceed those power and price numbers. 

Like Maybach, Alpina's Mercedes-based rivals, the new Alpina will likely seek to elevate BMWs beyond mere performance upgrades or a nicer sound system. There will likely be more customization options when it comes to interior and exterior color and materials. All of that, of course, comes with a much higher price tag, but it will still be a relative bargain compared to BMW Group's other subsidiary Rolls-Royce, which has no issue charging well over $500,000 for a bespoke luxury EV. 

Camouflage and exterior shots can only tell us so much, but for now, we know that Alpina is back and hard at work attempting to make Beemers better.