After months of speculation, gossip and rumors, a BMW official has confirmed the production of the Gran Coupé, a four door sports sedan designed to take on the upcoming Audi A7 and next Mercedes-Benz CLS, as well as the Porsche Panamera.
Speaking with Autoweek, the company's development chief Klaus Draeger said the Gran Coupé will launch in 2012, a year after the debut of the next generation of the 6-series Coupe in 2011.
Draeger said the production version of the Gran Coupé, which was shown as a thinly disguised concept on the sidelines of the Beijing Auto Show in April, will be "closely aligned" with the 6-series coupe both in terms of technology/platform, and pricing. In the US, the current 650i starts from $78,450, while in Germany, the entry-level 630i costs €70,450.