BMW Alpina B7 dies after 6 generations
The BMW 7 Series will enter its seventh generation with the 2023 model change announced in April, but the Alpina version will not return this time, BMW's semi-official tuner has confirmed.
In early September, Alpina announced the end of production of the B7 based on the current BMW 7 Series, confirming that the car is the last B7.
The reason has not been disclosed, but may be because BMW, which acquired the Alpina brand in March, is preparing to launch its own high-performance 7 Series based on the latest generation of its flagship sedan. These include the M760e xDrive plug-in hybrid with 563 hp and the i7 M70 xDrive electric car with over 600 hp.
Another problem is that sedan sales are losing ground to SUVs; Alpina's XB7, based on the BMW X7, is outselling the B7, with an updated version just announced for 2023.
The B7 has survived for six generations, but has not always been based on the 7 Series. The first generation was launched in 1978 as the B7 Turbo, a version of the BMW 5 Series; the first B7 based on the BMW 7 Series did not appear until 2001.
A documentary released last November shows how the B7 is built and includes a history of Alpina and an interview with its founder, Burkard Bovensiepen.
With the Alpina brand now owned by BMW, future Alpina cars will be manufactured at BMW's own plant, leaving Alpina to concentrate on vehicle development and its parts and service business.
