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BMW is bringing the twin-turbocharged six-cyinder 7 Series to North America.

The 2011 BMW 740i and BMW 740Li will be available for sale in the United States in Spring 2010. Both are powered by twin-turbo 3.0L inline six engines with a claimed power output of 315 hp and 330 ft-lb. of torque.

The 740i and 740Li join the V8 750i/750Li and V12 760Li in BMW’s flagship line in North America.

Another example of BMW’s EfficientDynamics “virtual displacement” concept, the twin-turbo inline six promises the power of a V8 but the fuel consumption of a six-cylinder engine.

Other EfficientDynamic features include all-aluminum construction, direct fuel injection, double-VANOS variable camshaft technology and brake energy regeneration.

Both the BMW 740i and BMW 740Li will be available with all 7 Series options including the M Sport, driver assistance, luxury seating, rear entertainment and BMW Individual Composition packages.

Gallery: 2011 BMW 740i / 740Li

Official release after the jump:

For the first time ever BMW will offer all-wheel drive on the 7 Series, starting this Fall. The xDrive system will be optional on both the 750i and 750Li models, increasing BMW’s range of 7 Series cars to five.

The xDrive system as found in the 7 Series will give sure-footed stability while also delivering performance, as it will be able to send up to 80 percent of the power to the rear wheels, which should help limit understeer significantly. BMW’s Integrated Chassis Management system will then work to control throttle input while adding brake in the rear (somewhat like a limited slip differential) to give “perfectly neutral handling.”

BMW promises that additional enhancements will help the all-wheel drive 7 Series models be some of the most nimble AWD sedans in the market.

Additionally, BMW has officially announced the introduction of an M Sport Package for the 7 Series which includes an M steering wheel, a lift-reducing aero kit, 19- or 20-inch wheels and Active Roll Stabilization (on rear-wheel drive models only). A special Carbon Black Metallic color will also be offered.

Official release after the jump:

As it turns out the spy photos that were reported to be an M version of the new BMW 7 Series were actually of a 7 Series M Sport. Rather than a high-performance model, this 7 is more tuned towards aesthetics – although the new M Sport wheels are certain to be lighter weight models and may come with more rubber attached to them.

Up front the bumper gets a slight redesign, as does the rear and inside a new M Sport steering wheel is included.

No pricing is available as BMW has yet to officially released details on the car. And while we’re a little upset there won’t be an M7, with 400hp and 450 ft-lbs of torque in the 750i, an M version really isn’t necessary.

GALLERY: BMW 7 Series M Sport

[Source: CarThrottle]

Thanks to the folks over at WorldCarFans we have these spy photos of an upcoming high-performance version of the new 7 Series. Likely to be called the M7, BMW isn’t being shy about it as the vehicle was caught out testing without any real camouflage.

A new front bumper reveals significantly-sized air intakes and a bulge in the hood indicates there is some serious horsepower under the the hood. The bulge or “power dome” is much like the one found on the M3 – increasing the possibility that this will in fact be called the M7.

The M7 will compete against bruisers from Mercedes, including the S63 and S65, however, it is not known which engine will power the super saloon. There are, however, two strong possibilities.

One option is the twin-turbo 6.0-liter V12 engine found in the new 760, with 554hp and 553 ft-lbs of torque. We’d wager, however, that the car would be powered by the same engine as in the X5 M and X6 M, a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 that makes 555hp and 500 ft-lbs of torque.

Expect to hear more about this car at the Frankfurt Auto Show this Fall – if not sooner.

GALLERY: BMW M7

[Source: WorldCarFans]