Magnificent 7 shapes up

THE curvy new BMW 7-Series is on the way. We’ve already caught disguised protoypes of the big saloon being put through their paces, but these are the best pictures yet of the luxury model. This mule for the German company’s flagship was spotted during a break from testing in South Africa by eagle-eyed Auto Express reader Steve Miller.

The newcomer is bigger than the outgoing car, and set to borrow styling cues from the brand’s gorgeous CS Concept, which debuted at China’s Shanghai Motor Show last year. The slab-sided look of the current version has been ditched as BMW designers have given the next model a sleek new style.

Company bosses expect the range-topper to go straight to the head of the class when the 7-Series goes on sale towards the end of the year. It will compete with established rivals, such as the Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8, after the production car debuts at the Paris Motor Show in October.

To go along with these shots we also have a new exclusive spy video of the 7-Series testing.