Last week, the covers came off the Vision BMW Alpina, an 8 Series-like concept that previews the design direction and Bentley-esque luxury of the Alpina brand, and now we have official confirmation that the first real Alpina product under BMW‘s stewardship will be based on the 7 Series, filling the small gap between that luxury sedan and the Rolls-Royce Ghost with a new B7, though it’s unclear if that name will survive. Speaking with Top Gear, BMW Alpina boss Oliver Viellechner said Alpina is all about V8 power, and that power won’t need any help from an electric motor. “A combustion engine and also a V8 is a core pillar of our offering,” he said, adding, “A pure V8 without a plug.”
Alpina Will Still Make More Power Than BMW
ChatGPT/Sebastian Cenizo
Alpina’s roots lie in tuning BMWs, and that won’t be changing in its new era, with Viellechner saying that “the engine of an Alpina can’t be the same engine in a base model 7 Series.” While the V8 isn’t available in a base model 7 Series (that gets a straight-six), it seems that BMW Alpina’s boss is hinting at a modified version of the 4.4-liter V8, which will already be getting more power for 2027. Alpina will be differentiating its vehicle through differences in “powertrain, chassis, driving, and so on,” according to the executive. BMW Alpina models will have unique outputs, handling characteristics, and drive modes, with ‘Comfort+’ as the default setting (one-upping ‘Comfort’ in a normal BMW), followed by ‘Speed’ and ‘Speed+’ instead of ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport+.’
Viellechner explained that Alpina will not talk about volumes or price, aiming to take the brand in a more exclusive direction than BMW and closer to Rolls-Royce territory, but the Alpina brand will no longer be limited by geography, with the cars set to be offered globally without making the cars intentionally rare. To achieve global desirability, it’s no surprise that there will eventually be EVs, too.
Related: 2027 BMW 7 Series Vs. 2026 BMW 7 Series: What Actually Changed?
Bentley is working on one, Jaguar is aiming at Bentley with one, and Rolls-Royce has started on its second. Even Ferrari knows ultra-wealthy buyers may someday want or need an EV in their climate-controlled garages. Viellechner explained the decision: “We believe we will need non-combustion variants going forward. It will not be so relevant at the beginning, but we will also find it difficult to launch a combustion-only brand these days. If you look to markets like China, for example, I could not see that as the right strategy.”
Smaller Alpina Models Won’t Fit the Bill
When quizzed about models like the 3 Series-based B3 or the 5 Series-based B5, Viellechner indicated that they may find their place someday, but with the vibe and sense of status that Alpina is targeting, that day is not near. “Definitely not at the start,” he said. “I think, long-term, the brand has the potential to [offer smaller cars], but it will be wrong to do that at the start. And not as the immediate second step either, because it’s quite a stretch.”
So while markets like Germany and Japan may be willing to pony up for an expensive 3er or 5er, it doesn’t make sense in building the image Alpina wants. Instead, BMW Alpina wants the sort of buyers seen in the U.S., who will pay $200,000 for big sedans and SUVs, and it wants people to see the brand as a symbol of opulence. It wants customers to visit only the finest selected BMW dealerships, spend more on the base car than they would have on the most expensive Bimmer, but less than the entry-level Rolls-Royce, and then spend some more on customization. It wants them to choose Alpina over Bentley. This is why V8s make sense, small cars don’t, and Alpina is “much more separate from BMW than M is,” according to Viellechner. Whether they do so on a sedan or a coupe like the Vision concept remains to be seen, but we’ll know next year.
Note: The images used in this article, excluding the embedded YouTube video, are AI-generated renders and should not be considered genuine BMW Alpina concepts.
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