German tuner Alpina discontinues the 7 Series-based B7 with the end of the current G11/G12 generation. This means that the all-new 7 Series G70 won't get the Alpina treatment. A Facebook-Post by Alpina Belgium announces "the era of the BMW Alpina B7 is coming to an end in the Alpina automobile manufactory". According to the site, the last B7 has already been produced. The announcement seems definitive, which implies that there is currently no successor under development.
The 7 Series G70 Goes on Sale Later This Year
The all-new G70 generation of the 7 Series went into production in July and sales are about to start in fall. The flagship of BMW features a wide range of combustion engines including mild-hybrid and plugin-hybrid versions. Moreover, for the first time, an all-electric version called the i7 with a minimum of 536 horsepower (400 kilowatts) and 549 pound-feet (745 Newton-meters) of torque joins the lineup. All the components of the 7 Series a now produced in-house at the BMW plant in Dingolfing, Germany. Therefore, it is likely that Alpina did not get access to the platform for its performance and luxury updates.
Alpina B7: Three Generations of Luxury and Performance
The first-generation Alpina B7 was launched in 2001. The base was the BMW 7 Series E65/E66 - better known as the "Bangle" 7 Series. Its V-8 produces 500 horsepower (368 kilowatts) and 516 pound-feet (700 Newton-meters) of torque. The second generation, based on the F01-F04 7 Series, had a maximum output of 540 horsepower (397 kilowatts) and 538 pound-feet (730 Newton-meters) of torque. The last generation of the BMW Alpina B7 (G11/G12) with whom the story is now coming to an end features a similar V-8 but with up to 608 horsepower (447 kilowatts) and 590 pound-feet (800 Newton-meters) of torque. What has to be mentioned is that all generations of the BMW B7 were able to hit at least 186 mph (300 km/h).
The Future of Alpina
Recently, Alpina tuner heavily updated its SUV XB7 which is now supposed to be the new flagship. Along with the new BMW X7, the BMW Alpina XB7 now features a split headlight design and gets more power. Prices in the U.S. for that model start at $145,000 with deliveries expected to start in early 2023.
Earlier this year, BMW announced it was buying Alpina, with plans to fully incorporate the tuner by the end of 2025. However, it seems that BMW has started now to influence the strategy of Alpina regarding the models it is supposed to modify. The first model to be denied is now the B7 successor.