The styling of the 2011 BMW CS Gran Turismo will be based on the Concept CS, which is shown here. See pictures of the 2010 BMW 7-Series.

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2011 BMW CS Gran Turismo

Update 11.04.2008

In response to volatile market conditions and the global financial crisis, BMW has announced that going forward, the company will focus sharply on profitability. As a result, the firm says it has reconsidered product decisions and will not introduce a production model of the Concept CS. BMW cited this model's inability to meet the required rates of return as the main factor in this decision.

BMW answers the Mercedes-Benz CLS with its own "4-door coupe." Based on the redesigned 7-Series premium large sedan, Gran Turismo is the new top-of-the-line, so it should be fast as well as stylish, and loaded with high-tech. Of course, it will not be inexpensive.

What We Know About the 2011 BMW CS Gran Turismo

After generating big buzz at the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show, BMW's Concept CS is heading for showrooms as the Gran Turismo. Rumored for a world debut late in 2009 and U.S. sale in the first half of 2010, it's BMW's reply to the strong-selling Mercedes-Benz CLS. But unlike that "4-door coupe," which is based on the premium midsize E-Class sedan and sits in the upper-middle of the M-B line, the Gran Turismo will be BMW's new flagship, priced above the redesigned 2009 7-Series sedan and rather more exclusive as a result.

The Concept CS looked production-ready, and many observers assumed the retail version would be derived from the redesigned 7. The only questions involved final dimensions and powertrains. With new-7 info now confirmed, we have a much clearer picture of the 2011 BMW CS Gran Turismo. By the way, BMW says the name is simply Gran Turismo; we add CS only for linkage with the concept precursor.

This new ultimate "Ultimate Driving Machine" should certainly look much like the Concept CS, with similarly rakish long-hood/short-deck proportions and a more-cohesive expression of BMW's "flame-surfacing" motif. The so-called "shark nose" front is almost sure to carry over, too. Ditto the concept's complex bodyside sculpting, prominent rear-fender creases emphasizing the rear-wheel-drive layout, and a sloping low-rise roofline.

We expect only one major design change, and that's slicing about 3 inches off the concept's massive 78-inch overall width, this to fit the new 7-Series' "F01" architecture. Wheelbase should be 123.2 inches, same as the concept's, a dimension that just happens to fall neatly between the 121-inch span of the new 750i and the 126.5-inch long-body 750Li. Overall length should be close to that of the standard 7 at around 200 inches, but the 2011 BMW CS Gran Turismo should mimic the concept's mere 53.2-inch overall height despite likely 19- or 20-inch standard wheels. Even with its considerable size, however, the GT will almost surely share the concept's cozy-feel interior, with seating likely limited to four and tight rear headroom for taller occupants.

Updated by Don Sikora II 11.04.2008

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