New Vision BMW Alpina concept car is set for 15 May unveiling
Now that Alpina is officially part of BMW, this concept will show us what’s in store
BMW Alpina is set to begin a new era in dramatic style with an all-new concept car. The ‘Vision BMW Alpina’ will be unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este this week, and the first teaser image reveals plenty about the upcoming car.
It will be the marque’s first car produced since BMW took control of the Alpina brand at the start of 2026 and the shadowy side profile shows a sleek coupe body with razor-thin headlights and rear lights - neither of which look to be taken from existing BMW or Alpina models. The front end is much like you’d find on BMW’s traditional shark-nose grilles.
We already know the first two models in BMW Alpina’s range will be based on the largest BMWs on sale, the 7 Series and X7, which use BMW’s multi-fuel CLAR platform. But the proportions of the Vision BMW Alpina look very similar to the BMW 8 Series coupe, which uses an older version of the same architecture.
Alpina hasn’t yet produced an all-electric car, but now that it’s formally integrated into BMW, it will surely only be a matter of time before we see a pure EV from the new brand. We’ll have to wait until 15 May to see if the Vision BMW Alpina is the first to bring pure electric power to the brand.
It’s not a surprise that BMW Alpina has chosen to unveil its new car at Villa d'Este, given that this is where BMW showed the Concept Speedtop in 2025, the Concept Skytop in 2024 and the Concept Touring Coupe in 2023. Positioning the Vision BMW Alpina as an ultra-luxurious, limited-edition model would tie in neatly with BMW Alpina’s new brand identity as filling the gap between BMW and Rolls-Royce.
BMW Alpina: future strategy
The plan to bring Alpina in-house had enthusiasts worried, and with hardly any information available, many feared it would be dissolved into little more than a trim level. But BMW recently banished those fears, when chairman of the board of management Oliver Zipse confirmed that the brand would be spun off into an entirely different entity called BMW Alpina, operating in the space between BMW and Rolls.
The brand will focus on high levels of luxury and performance, as before, but also increase the amount of personalisation available on each of its new models. No official information has been revealed about how much they’ll differ from the BMW on which they are based, but their core appeal will remain BMW M-like performance, with a focus on comfort, personalisation and more sophisticated design.
Some rumours from within BMW suggest that future Alpinas will be far more visually differentiated than before, with more than the unique wheels, bodykits and rear spoilers of previous Alpina models.
In a previous statement, BMW said 2026 “marks the launch of BMW Alpina as an exclusive standalone brand under the BMW Group umbrella”. As part of the launch, the new BMW Alpina name will be carried on the rear of all models, with the lettering “inspired by the asymmetrical wordmark from the 1970s”, according to BMW.
“Key elements of the BMW Alpina brand are its unique balance of maximum performance and superior ride comfort, combined with hallmark driving characteristics. This is complemented by an exclusive portfolio of bespoke options and custom materials along with unmistakable details,” BMW continued.
The final Alpina was last year’s limited-edition B8 GT, based on the 8 Series Gran Coupe with BMW’s 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine tuned to put out 625bhp and 850Nm of torque. In true Alpina fashion, its unrestricted top speed meant it topped out at 204mph, 14mph faster than the BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe – used examples of which are available on the Auto Express Buy a Car service.
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