New 7-Series Might Weigh Less than Current 5-Series

This plan comes from -series development boss Herbert Deiss. Currently, the 7 series is built on a steel unibody platform. The next generation car will be a mixture of steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber. Although this sounds like BMW is blazing a bright new path for their flagship, the reality is that this is familiar territory.

BMW’s fourth generation  series (and the E60) both were build using a partial-steel and partial-aluminum body frame. Both models switched to a modernized all steel frame for this generation to improve chassis rigidity. That of course added weight. Now it seems that BMW is planning on adding lightness going forward. I imagine the addition of carbon fiber to the steel and aluminum mix will alleviate any concerns about safety and chassis rigidity. They’ll be more expensive to build, sure, but it is a BMW after all.

If the new 7-series goes this route, it’s likely possible that the next generation of 5-series will go the same way. We can hope!

via[EGMCartech]