Concept showcases future slanted to exclusivity and comfort, bridging gap between BMW and Rolls-Royce
The future of Alpina in its new era of BMW control has been previewed by a grand tourer concept unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy.
The Vision Alpina is a shark-nosed 2+2 coupé that, at 5.2m, is as long as a Rolls-Royce Wraith.
While it will not directly spawn a production model, it serves as an aesthetic manifesto for a showroom range that will be priced above any current BMW model – but without reaching the heights of the BMW Group’s luxury flagship brand, Rolls-Royce.
The concept is the first official look at where BMW plans to take the Alpina brand after the transition to full ownership from Bovensiepen was completed earlier this year.
The first production car, confirmed previously to Autocar as being based on the BMW 7 Series, will be unveiled in 2027 and the first deliveries will take place in early 2028.
Nods to the past
Maximilian Missoni, BMW’s lead for the mid-size and luxury classes and former Polestar design boss, told Autocar that Alpina’s 60-year brand heritage was being treated with “utter care” and that the much-loved B7 Turbo of 1978 (B7S Turbo pictured below) had served as direct inspiration for the Vision Alpina.
Indeed, the concept features elements that stay true to its Bovensiepen roots, such as the multi-spoke wheels, wordmarked chin spoiler and quad-exhaust tips.
The concept also gets a new, more minimalist take on the Deko Set stripes, which, in keeping with BMW’s ambition to push the brand further upmarket than before, will be hand-painted on production cars rather than being decals, as was typically the case previously.
The use of subtle chrome on the so-called draught surfaces at the front of the concept is meant as a gentle nod to the BMW 507 and is likely to feature on Alpina’s production cars, which will inherit their silhouette from mainline BMW models.
The cabin is another major area of interest on the Vision Alpina. There is copious leather, much of it Lavalina grade, plus inventive ambient lighting, open-pore wood finishes and machined metal detailing that, said BMW, has been inspired by high-end watchmaking.
There is even crystal glassware integrated behind the centre console at the rear.
These all combine to offer a level of luxury that will enable Alpina to compete directly with Mercedes-Maybach and Range Rover, but with exclusivity to match that of Ferrari.
Power and luxury
The concept draws its power from a front, longitudinally mounted V8 engine that, according to BMW, has been engineered to “preserve the characteristic Alpina balance between refinement and effortless performance rather than pursue the more overtly sporting character associated with BMW M models”.
The company has released no full technical specifications about the concept’s powerplant, but Autocar understands the first production car is likely to use a 4.4-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 unassisted by electric elements, and in a unique and powerful tune not used elsewhere in the BMW Group.
The production cars are confirmed to retain the dedicated ‘Comfort Plus’ damper setting of Bovensiepen-era Alpinas.
Alpina’s new boss, Oliver Viellechner, said volumes will not be “substantially changing” from those during the Bovensiepen period, which peaked at around 2500 cars annually in recent years.
He also noted that one in every two Mercedes S-Class models sold in China is a Maybach derivative, shining a light on BMW’s aspirations for the Alpina brand.
Viellechner wouldn’t say how far down the mainline BMW line-up Alpina is prepared to go when it comes to selecting donor cars. However, traditional sports saloons in the manner of the B3 and B5 seem unlikely to tally with the new positioning.
BMW tech boss Joachim Post has previously told Autocar that the BMW X7 will be the second car, after the 7 Series, to get the Alpina treatment.
Viellechner confirmed that an electric Alpina model is being looked at and said the BMW Group has all the “right ingredients” to create a “very emotional, electric, highly dynamic product”, although he was unable to comment on an explicit timeline.
He maintained, however, that at the beginning the “clear focus” will be on internal-combustion models.
