Last year, at the Beijing Auto Show, BMW->ke178 unveiled the Gran Coupe concept, an elegant 4-door vehicle that previewed the company’s future Mercedes-Benz CLS->ke539 competitor. Shortly after, the company announced it would be followed by a production version sometime in the first quarter of 2012. Now, a series of patent images have been revealed that illustrate what the production version may look like. Yes, you guessed it, it's actually very similar to the concept.

The new BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe will be placed between the current 5 and 7-Series and will keep some of the features that made the concept so attractive at the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year, including the frameless windows and B-pillar. We expect to see the same range of turbocharged six- and eight-cylinder engines, but an ActiveHybrid is also in the works.

If these rumors are correct, we should expect a production version at the beginning of 2012, most likely at the Geneva Motor Show.

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