To celebrate its 40th anniversary of operations in North America, BMW->ke178 is preparing a world premiere of two new concept cars,->ke169 slated for an unveiling at the upcoming Monterey Car Week. The cars will officially drop cover August 13th at 6:00 p.m. during Bimmer’s annual press conference at the BMW Villa in Pebble Beach, with follow-up appearances planned later in the weekend at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, Legends of the Autobahn Concours d’Elegance, Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, and of course, the esteemed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.->ke2839

Several BMW execs will be on hand during the press conference, including Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO of BMW North America; Karim Habib, Director of BMW Design; and Dirk Haecker, VP of R&D at BMW M GmbH. 

BMW has not revealed any details on what concepts will be making an appearance, but speculation seems to center on the new 2016 BMW M2 and 2016 BMW M4 GTS, both of which are expected in final production form some time before the end of the year. And considering Dirk Haecker’s presence at the press conference, that’s probably a safe bet.

So far, BMW has only provided us with a teaser image showing a drawing of a very rectangular, racing-style steering wheel, complete with M-brand stitching and enormous gear paddles, a possible indication that a new M car->ke546 will indeed be part of the debut. 

Other possibilities include the upcoming Z4->ke289 successor, a collaborative effort between Toyota->ke88 and BMW, and a high-performance variant of the 7 Series.->ke323

Personally, I’m feeling something techy, perhaps with a hybrid,->ke147 or even hydrogen->ke4485 drivetrain. What I’d really like to see is the successor to the 2015 BMW i8, but I’m not holding my breath.

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Why it matters

With so many looming projects and the rumor mill at full-spin, it’s hard to pin down exactly what BMW will be bringing to the central California coast next month. The venue isn’t much of an indication either, because although Monterey Car Week is traditionally considered an event centered on classic sports->ke506 and luxury cars,->ke505 we’ve seen all kinds of new concepts parked on the Pebble Beach grass over the years. Last year, for example, included such wildly different autos as the 2013 Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo, 2014 Toyota FT-1, 2016 McLaren P1 GTR, 2014 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Waterspeed Collection and 2016 Lincoln MKX, among others.

Last year, BMW brought the 2014 BMW Vision Future Luxury Concept, which included stuff like laser headlights, vast interior space for four passengers, and the very latest in automotive technology. The automaker also auctioned away a one-off i8 dubbed the 2015 BMW i8 Concours d’Elegance Edition, which came with a Frozen Grey Metallic exterior and Dalbergia Brown leather interior. At the gavel’s fall, the i8 went for $825,000, with proceeds going to charity.

BMW recently unveiled two concepts in Italy at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este,->ke2163 including a modern homage to the ‘70s-era 3.0 CSL sports coupe and a bagger-style cruiser motorcycle.

Look for our upcoming coverage of Monterey Car Week next month, when yours truly will be on location, rubbing shoulders with the automotive elite and getting more than my fair share of free champagne and hors d’oeuvres.