Monday, January 19, 2009
Speculation: BMW CS _ To be, or not to be?
The Concept CS, which takes its name from highly styled BMWs of the 60s, is longer, wider and lower than BMW’s current flagship sedan, the 7 Series.
It was first shown to the public at the Shanghai Auto Show early last year as Asia is likely to account for a big piece of any future growth in sales of high-end luxury cars.
The CS’s most striking feature is a long, low, flowing roof, which inevitably leads to comparisons with recent “four-door coupes” – notably the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera.
BMW said recently the production version of its CS concept was being canned, but what about the CS mule snapped at its Munich HQ?
About two months ago, BMW’s CEO Norbert Reithofer said that its large sports sedan, showcased as the CS concept, did not meet the internal requirements for rates of return.
"At the moment we do not need that kind of brand shaper," he said.
The low-slung four-seater was intended as a rival for the Maserati Quattroporte and upcoming Porsche Panamera, but the company instead said it would turn its focus to producing smaller, more efficient cars.
However, our spies snapped images of a running CS mule!
The images were captured at the firm’s Munich headquarters and the driver was very nervous when he spotted our photographer – and decided to make a quick get-away.
Speculation, therefore, is on again whether the CS will or won’t make it into production.
via:wheels24