The BMW 8 Series is set to make its long-awaited comeback and while that is all set to happen, questions on when it’s going to arrive have yet to be answered. Well, we now have an idea regarding a timetable for the 8 Series, at least according to BMW Blog, who says that BMW’s new flagship model will hit the market in late 2019 or early 2020. But that’s not all. Turns out, the arrival of the 8 Series will come at the expense of both the 6 Series Coupe and Convertible.

Both the high-end coupe and convertible variants are apparently on the chopping block as BMW seeks to field a legitimate rival to the Mercedes S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet. The void left behind by the departure of the two models will be filled up by the 8 Series. There’s no word yet on whether the arriving 8er will strictly be a two-model lineup, but a previous report by Auto Express touched on the possibility of an entire family of models coming out of the 8 family. The same report also listed a number of trademarks that BMW filed with global intellectual property regulators pertaining to possible names for cars that will be given the 8 Series badge.

The 8 Series is also reportedly getting a series of of engines that will include a 3.0-liter straight six that produces 450 horsepower and a more powerful 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 that can develop as much as 650 horsepower without breaking a sweat. The twin-turbo V-8, it seems, is the engine that the German automaker plans to use for the car that will eventually have its eyes set on the Mercedes S-Class Coupe.

As for the 6 Series, the exit of both the 6 Series Coupe and 6 Series Cabriolet isn’t the beginning of the end for that lineup. Instead, BMW is reportedly keen on turning that lineup into its de-facto sports car family, one that will include a two-seater sports car that will compete against the Porsche 911 and the Mercedes-AMG GT.

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Why it matters

Ever since reports started surfacing about the possible return of the BMW 8 Series, a lot of people, myself included, have wondered how BMW was planning to reintroduce the 8er into a portfolio of models that’s already close to overflowing. I didn’t think that it would make sense for the German automaker to simply bring back the 8 Series without removing any models along the way because doing so would amount to nothing more than a vanity play in my eyes. Then reports started coming out that the 6 Series would be affected in some fashion by the return of the 8 Series and this report from BMW Blog strengthened that belief.

I think it’s a good move for BMW to reshuffle its premium models and make it more streamlined. The arrival of the 8 Series would mean that BMW will now have a true performance flagship model that can not only compete against Mercedes, but against Bentley and Rolls-Royce too. The 7 Series can retain its premium luxury sedan status and the 6 Series will be repackaged as a true sports car lineup that will focus all of its attention on cars like the Porsche 911, Audi R8, and Mercedes-AMG GT. It’s a good plan with clear points of focus for each model, something that I thought was missing when both the 6 Series and 7 Series served as the range-topping models of BMW without any clear delineation between the two models.

Now that there appears to be a plan to create clear roles for each model, the returning 8 Series will have the kind of platform where it can really shine. It would be a dramatic turnaround from the last time we saw the 8 Series, which didn’t have a clear identity other than it being packaged as a Grand Tourer. That caused the model to not only suffer, but it also forced BMW to rethink its luxury car priorities, which eventually led to the 8er’s dismissal after only 10 years in production (1989-1999).