BMW has launched the new 7 Series range in India, in both petrol and electric guises. Notably, BMW will locally assemble the 740 M Sport and the i7 xDrive50 at its plant in Chennai, making India the only production hub outside Germany to assemble the electric i7. The flagship i7 M70 xDrive, however, will continue to arrive as a Completely Built Unit (CBU).
The new 7 Series adopts a fresh front-end design language for BMW’s luxury portfolio. Upfront, it gets a cleaner look anchored by an illuminated kidney grille and split LED headlamps. A larger, matte-finish BMW badge sits prominently above the grille. Flush-fitting door handles and slimmer LED tail-lamps that extend further into the rear quarters complete the exterior tweaks.
Both the 740 M Sport and i7 xDrive50 feature the M Sport package as standard, adding high-gloss black bumper accents, air intakes, side skirts, a rear diffuser, 20-inch alloy wheels, and blue M Sport brake callipers. The performance-focused i7 M70 xDrive adds sportier differentiators, including larger air intakes, a subtle front spoiler lip, M-badged kidney grille graphics, darker grille illumination, smoke-black crystal headlights, M mirror caps, a Black Sapphire rear spoiler, and 21-inch bi-colour M aerodynamic wheels.
Paint options across the range include Tanzanite Blue, Carbon Black, Mineral White, Oxide Grey, and Vancouver Green, with an optional Black Sapphire contrast roof. The i7 M70 exclusively offers three frozen paint finishes and an optional dual-tone finish.
Inside, the cabin introduces BMW’s new Panoramic iDrive system powered by Operating System X. The centerpiece is the BMW Panoramic Vision display strip spanning the full width of the windscreen, complemented by a 17.9-inch central touchscreen and a 3D head-up display.
A major addition is the debut of the BMW Passenger Screen – a 14.6-inch touch display situated ahead of the front passenger. It operates independently without requiring a BMW ID and automatically dims via an interior camera if it detects the driver’s attention shifting toward it.
Rear passengers get BMW’s Executive Lounge treatment, featuring seats that recline up to 43 degrees with memory functions, gap-free calf support, a heel rest, and a fold-away front passenger seat for maximum legroom. Entertainment is handled by Theatre Screen 2.0 – a 31.3-inch 8K display that deploys from the roof – paired with a 35-speaker Bowers & Wilkins Sound system with Dolby Atmos.
Standard safety and driver assistance features across the range include Driving Assistant Plus, Parking Assistant with smartphone remote parking, a 360-degree camera, Reversing Assistant and a dashcam.
Under the hood, the petrol-powered 740 M Sport is driven by a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine producing 400hp and 540Nm of torque. Power is delivered to the rear wheels through an 8-speed DCT, propelling the car from 0-100kph in 5.4 seconds. The electric i7 xDrive50 M Sport transitions from its predecessor’s single-motor, rear-wheel-drive setup to a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive layout. It generates 455hp and 660Nm of torque, completing the 0-100kph run in 5.5 seconds with a top speed of 210kph. Powered by a larger 112.5kWh battery pack, it delivers a WLTP-certified range of up to 728km. The range-topping i7 M70 xDrive uses a twin-motor setup delivering 680hp and up to 1,100Nm of torque. This allows the EV to accelerate from 0-100kph in just 3.8 seconds, with a top speed capped at 250kph. Sharing the same 112.5kWh battery pack, it achieves a WLTP range of 686km.
Both i7 variants support 250kW DC fast charging, capable of adding 235km of range in 10 minutes and charging from 10 to 80 percent in 28 minutes. A 22kW AC wallbox charger is included as standard with installation, capable of fully topping up the battery in roughly six hours.
Prices for the new BMW 7 Series start at Rs 1.95 crore for both the petrol-powered 740 M Sport and the electric i7 xDrive50 M Sport, going up to Rs 2.65 crore for the range-topping i7 M70 xDrive.
