BMW files trademark for M7 moniker

On April 27, 2018, BMW reportedly filed paperwork with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to secure the rights for the M7 moniker. Come to think of it, it has become apparent that the name is very important to the automaker. So do you think they are saving the name for a high performance production vehicle or are they just keeping it from being used by other automakers?

Here is the thing, the automaker had just applied for the name but this does not necessarily mean that the request will be granted by the USPTO. The process to reserve a name can be quite slow as well. An example would be when Ford made a filing for the Maverick nameplate to see if other automakers would oppose the automaker’s use of the name.

In fact, BMW actually already had rights to the M7 name in the United States in the past, and that was not too long ago - from April 24, 2012 up until April 24, 2018. The USPTO had given the automaker rights to renew this application, but what was odd was BMW waited three days after the rights lapsed before filing new paperwork. It would have been much simpler to file the renewal papers.

BMW has been denying rumours of an M7 for years. And according to some execs, the M badge is for vehicles that an owner could conceivably take to the track, but at the same time, that’s not in the profile of 7 Series buyers.

Right now, the automaker already offers customers two options for a more performance oriented 7 Series. The Alpina B7 features a subtle sporty appearance, packing a biturbo 4.4 liter V8 with 600 horsepower and 590 pound feet of torque. And for customers who are willing to spend more, there is the M760i that is equipped with a larger 6.6 liter biturbo V12 with 601 horsepower and 590 pound feet of torque, it’s just that there isn’t much room for an M7. Also, these two have been available for quite some time now.

It’s worth considering that the BMW doesn’t already have a potent 7 Series model. In fact, the M760i already has as much as 600 horsepower under its impressive hood. This enables it to accelerate on the highway in around 3.6 seconds only, according to Car and Driver.

They even describe it to be like “a powerplant with the gravitational pull of a neutron star.” The said model, with that much power, has a price tag of $156,000. It may not be as affordable as you hope for it to be, but if you want a model that is as powerful as this, then you should be able to shell out that amount of money.