BMW to Bring Massive Number of New Cars to Geneva Motor Show

Written by: Jacob Brown [G+] on February 17 2012 12:00 PM

Think of the powwow known as the Geneva Motor Show as Europe’s Detroit venue. It’s on neutral soil, allowing automakers to each vie for the imaginary “Mine’s better than yours” award without alienating an automaker on its home turf.

BMW went pretty big at last fall’s Frankfurt Motor Show, but it appears the German automaker is following up with an even bigger array of new vehicle debuts in Geneva. Making its debut in Switzerland will be the 6 Series Gran Coupe four-door model; 560-horsepower M6 coupe; the high-performance M550d xDrive sedan and Touring wagon versions; the X5 M50d, X6 M50d, 3 Series xDrive and ActiveHybrid3 models; a handful of 1 Series models that have yet to debut in the U.S.; the refreshed 2013 BMW X6 and the i3 and i8 electric car concepts that debuted in Frankfurt.

Here’s a brief rundown of each debut:

2013 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

Competing directly with the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, the 2013 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is a longer, more elegant “four-door coupe” version of the 6 Series. Positioned as a grand tourer to slot in between the 5 Series and 7 Series sedans, the 6 Series Gran Coupe remains largely unchanged from other 6 Series models under the hood with an availability of a 320-horsepower, 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six or a 4.4-liter turbocharged V-8 producing 450 horsepower. All-wheel drive, an M Sport package, and BMW Individual customization options will also be available when the 6 Series Gran Coupe launches in the U.S. later this year.

2013 BMW M6 Coupe

Although BMW has released pictures of both coupe and convertible versions of its next-gen super coupe, it looks like the coupe is the only one able to make it to the party in Geneva. No matter, with 560 horsepower on tap routed through a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission, a carbon fiber roof, carbon ceramic brakes, and plenty of kit exclusive to the 2013 BMW M6, it will likely more than suffice for the average showgoer. Oh yeah, and it is expected to get 23 mpg highway, 30 percent better than the outgoing version.

M Performance Automobiles

Much as we’d like to see these here, it’s not going to happen. In the M Performance vehicles, which include the M550d xDrive sedan and Touring wagon, the X5 M50d, and X6 M50d, represent how to do high-performance diesels correctly. Each of them have 381-horsepower, 3.0-liter tri-turbocharged inline six-cylinder diesel engines with gobs or low-end power. All models come with standard all-wheel drive and eight-speed automatic transmissions.

BMW 3 Series xDrive and ActiveHybrid3

BMW is planning to have a large display with an extensive presentation on all of its 3 Series models, including those with small engines we’ll never get here. The all-wheel-drive 3 Series xDrive will be on display, as will the ActiveHybrid3, which will feature the automaker’s turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and a battery-electric system that should propel the car’s highway fuel economy into the 40s.

BMW 1 Series

The all-new BMW 1 Series will have been on sale for two model years before we finally get it in 2013. But we suggest you not care you not care too much about these ones. We’re probably just getting coupe and sedan versions of the 1 Series instead of the hatchback model, and ours will likely feature more powerful engines than those featured in the 125i, 125d, and 116d models on display in Geneva.

2013 BMW X6

Consider this a midcycle refresh for the BMW X6, the original crossover coupe. It takes on a redesigned grille, higher fog lights, LED headlights, more luxury options, and the availability of an M Sport package that equips it with 20-inch wheels and a go-fast look. Engine and transmission options will remain nearly unchanged from 2012 models.