The BMW 6 Series is a range of grand tourers produced by BMW since 1976. It is the successor to the E9 Coupé and is currently in its fourth generation. The first generation

BMW E24 The BMW E24 is the first generation of BMW 6 Series range of grand tourer cars, which was produced from January 1976 to 1989 and replaced the BMW E9 coupé. The E24 was produced solely in a 2-door coupé body style. All models used petrol straigh ...

6 Series was available solely as a two-door

coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

and produced from 1976 to 1989, when it was supplanted by the larger BMW 8 Series (E31). When the 6 Series nameplate was revived in 2004 for the second generation, the BMW E63/E64 6 Series, the coupé was joined by a convertible body style. The third generation F06/F12/F13 6 Series debuted in 2011 as a coupé and convertible, and a sedan variant known as the "Gran Coupé" in 2012. When the F06/F12/F13 6 Series ended production, the "Gran Coupé"/coupé/convertible models have been shifted into the more upmarket

BMW 8 Series (G15) The second-generation of the BMW 8 Series consists of the BMW G14 (convertible version), BMW G15 (two-door coupe version) grand tourers and BMW G16 (four-door "Gran Coupe" sedan version) executive car (E-segment, E). The G14/G15/G16 generation ha ...

nameplate. The fourth generation 6 Series, the G32 6 Series, debuted in mid-2017 and is offered only as a

fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is a type of fastback style. Some models, such as the Ford Mustang, have been specifically marketed as ...

body style to complement the BMW 5 Series (G30) sedan/wagon. The first generation 6 Series was derived from the BMW E23 7 Series, and was powered by a range of

naturally aspirated Naturally may refer to: ;Albums * ''Naturally!'', an album by Nat Adderley * ''Naturally'' (Houston Person album) * ''Naturally'' (J. J. Cale album) * ''Naturally'' (John Pizzarelli album) * ''Naturally'' (Sharon Jones album) * ''Naturally'' ...

inline-six The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...

gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...

engines. Following generations have been powered by inline-four, V8, and

V10 A V10 engine is a ten-cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V10 engines are much less common than V8 and V12 engines. Several V10 diesel engines have been pr ...

engines with both

natural aspiration Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

and turbocharging. Since 2008,

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

engines have been included in the 6 Series range, with

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

models on offer since 2012. A BMW M6 high performance model was produced for the first three generations of the 6 Series. __TOC__

First generation (E24; 1976–1989)

The BMW E24 is the first generation of 6 Series and was produced from 1976 to 1989. It replaced the E9 coupés and was solely produced in the 2-door coupé body style. Aside from the M635CSi/M6 models, the E24 was powered by a range of M30

straight-6 The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bal ...

engines. The E24 M635CSi (called the M6 in North America and Japan) is considered the start of the M6 model line. In most markets, the M635CSi is powered by the M88 straight-6 engine. In North America and Japan, the M6 is powered by the less powerful S38 straight-6 engine.

Second generation (E63/E64; 2003–2010)

The E63/E64 is the second generation of 6 Series and was sold from 2003 to 2010. The body styles of the range are the

(E63 model code) and convertible (E64 model code). In January 2003, the E63 coupé re-introduced the 6 Series range, 14 years after the E24 6 Series ended production. A few months later, the E64 convertible was released. The E63/E64 uses a shortened version of the E60 5 Series chassis and shares many features with the 5 Series. The car initially drew criticism, due to its controversial styling and complicated iDrive system. The M6 model was released in 2005 in coupé and convertible body styles. It is powered by the S85 V10 engine and most cars were sold with a 7-speed automated manual transmission ("SMG III"). Customers who wanted a fast four-door M6 Gran Coupe had to wait until November 2013 to get an M6 Gran Coupé, whereas the F12 convertible and F13 coupé M6 models were unveiled in May 2013 for the F12 M6 convertible, and July 2013 for the F13 M6 Coupé. An Alpina version of the four-door Gran Coupé was unveiled prior to the announcement of the M6 Gran Coupé at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, and has been in production since 2011.

Third generation (F06/F12/F13; 2011–2018)

The BMW F06/F12/F13 is the third generation 6 Series and was sold from 2011 to 2018. The body styles of the range are a 4-door sedan (F06 model code, marketed as "Gran Coupé"), 2-door convertible (F12 model code) and 2-door coupé (F13 model code). It was introduced at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show and New York Auto Show. A new four-door coupé version of the 6 Series was introduced in 2012, at the

Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...

; and is based on the 2007 CS Concept. Initial models included a 3.0-litre inline six engine, a 4.4-litre V8, and a 3.0-litre inline six

engine, with

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...

variants later added to the lineup. In 2015, the 6 Series underwent a facelift, featuring design changes and minor performance and fuel economy improvements. In February 2017, it was confirmed that the 6 Series coupé model had ended production. The convertible ended in February 2018, and the Gran Coupé ended in October 2018. Although production ended in the Autumn of 2018, the F06 Gran Coupe are available in the 2019 model year. The F06/F12/F13 M6 is powered by the S63 twin-turbo V8 engine with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. It is the first M6 to use a turbocharged engine.

Fourth generation (G32; 2017–2023)

The BMW G32 is the fourth generation 6 Series, which went on sale in 2017. The body style of the G32 is a 5-door fastback and it is marketed as "6 Series Gran Turismo" (replacing the previous generation 5 Series Gran Turismo). The G32 was first introduced online on 14 June 2017 and launched at the 2017

Frankfurt Auto Show The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...

in September. The range of engines consist of turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol, 6-cylinder petrol and 6-cylinder diesel engines. Most models are

rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...

, with

(called "xDrive" by BMW) available as an option for some models.

Production and sales

The following are production figures for the BMW 6 Series since 2004.

References