BMW To Launch 6 Series Gran Turismo In India In 2018

It will be assembled locally at BMW’s Chennai plant and hence, is expected to be priced competitively

After being showcased at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year, BMW has finally confirmed that it will be launching the new 6 Series Gran Turismo in the country. It will be the second product in BMW India’s current portfolio with the GT badge, alongside the 3 Series Gran Turismo. The car will be slotted between the 5 Series and the flagship 7 Series sedan.

The 6 series GT is based on BMW’s new CLAR (Cluster Architecture) platform, which also underpins the 5 Series and the 7 Series. Since India gets the long wheelbase version of the 7 Series, its wheelbase measures 3210mm, a good 235mm more than 5 Series’. At 3070mm, the 6 Series GT’s wheelbase measures 95mm more than 5’s and 140mm less than 7’s. So, we can expect the 6GT to have a more spacious cabin than the 5 Series.

Talking of cabin space, and especially legroom at the rear, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class leads the mid-size luxury sedan pack since it’s available in the long-wheelbase version in India. With the 6GT in the country, BMW would want to target those buyers who opt for the E- over the 5 for cabin space. The E-Class’ wheelbase is only 9mm longer than the 6 Series Gran Turismo’s.

Talking about how the 6GT looks, the front fascia seems quite similar to any new BMW on the block; active kidney grills flanked by grill touching dual barrel adaptive LED headlamps make it look edgier. The side profile of the car is equally eye-catching with a heavily raked A-pillar and a coupe-like roofline which merges seamlessly with the tail of the car.

Adding to its aerodynamic capabilities, BMW has thrown in some small bits here and there like the small air vents behind the front wheels along with underbody cladding and a rear spoiler that deploys at higher speeds to provide extra downforce.

On the inside, the dashboard on the new GT looks similar to the one on the 5 Series. The leather packed seats and wooden inserts on the doors and dashboard make it look opulent. It is expected to get everything from BMW’s current bag of goodies like screen based instrument cluster, gesture control, panoramic sunroof, surround view cameras, remote parking key and Harman Kardon 600W surround sound system. 

In India, the 6 Series GT is likely to get a 3.0-litre, inline 6-cylinder diesel engine producing 265PS of power and 620Nm of torque. It is the same engine that powers the current 530d and takes it to 100kmph from a standstill in about 5.7 seconds, before topping out at 250kmph.

The BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo is expected to be priced in the Rs 60-70 lakh range. At that price, it would not only compete with the Mercedes-Benz’ E-Class on the interior space but also on the price chart.  

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