The return of the BMW 8 Series and the demise of the BMW 6 Series can be attributed to one thing: customer demand. The German automaker admitted as much at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show when it was asked about the reasons for the return of the 8 Series. Apparently, the public wanted the 8 Series to return after almost two decades of being on the sidelines. That demand spurred BMW CEO Harald Kruger to make the decision to bring the nameplate back.

While it’s not actually surprising to hear that customer demand was one of the biggest reasons behind the 8 Series’ return, it does shed a light on what BMW execs are looking into these days. The automaker’s head of Product and Brand Communications, Eckhardt Wannieck, said as much, telling Carscoops in Geneva that “the decision was mainly driven by customer demand and is part of our luxury offensive.”

Luxury offensive. That’s the important phrase to remember here. More than “customer demand,” that phrase shines a spotlight on Bimmer’s goal to shake up its own luxury range to stay relevant in the segment. It’s actually important for BMW to take such a step. Bentley and Rolls-Royce are rolling out next-generation models. Mercedes brought back the Maybach name. BMW couldn’t just sit on the sidelines and let all this movement shape its environment without doing anything. What was it supposed to do? Keep offering the 6 Series and 7 Series and claim that they’re as good as any of the models its rivals are offering? Customers would see right through that.

Even BMW CEO, Harald Kruger, knew that the only way for BMW to keep its name in the luxury car conversation was to do something big. That’s where the opportunity to bring back the 8 Series started. “It was a strategic decision made by Harald Krüger to increase our footprint in the luxury segment,” Wannieck said. “The key milestone of this strategic initiative is the positioning of the 8-Series as a true luxury car and to enter the luxury segment too with the coupe.”

Having the 8 Series would give BMW a true flagship model, one that it hasn’t had since the turn of the millennium. It was understandable back then for Bimmer to discontinue the 8 Series because of low sales. But, times have changed. Luxury vehicles are booming once again, so it makes sense for the German automaker to have a model that can go toe-to-toe with the industry’s best, even if it comes at the expense of the BMW 6 Series.

So, here we are. It’s 2018, and the BMW 8 Series is once again making waves. The flagship model is expected to be introduced sometime this year, setting the stage for more variants to arrive in the coming years. This early, sedan, coupe, and convertible versions of the 8 Series are already in the pipeline. An M8 is also in the cards, though nothing has been confirmed on that front.

Regardless of where BMW takes the 8 Series from here, one thing is clear; we can thank “consumer demand” and a renewed “luxury offensive” as the reasons behind why it’s coming back in the first place.

References

BMW 8 Series

Read our full speculative re view on the 2019 BMW 8 Series.

BMW M8

Read our full speculative review on the BMW M8.

BMW 8 Series Concept Coupe

Read our full review on the BMW 8 Series Concept Coupe.

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