BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo axed in Australia

BMW has unveiled its refreshed 6 Series Gran Turismo this week alongside the new-look 5 Series sedan and Touring wagon, but it will not be coming to Australia.

News of the BMW 6 Series GT's departure from Australian showrooms comes just days after the company's UK division axed the liftback from its line-up.

British website Autocar reported the decision was made to drop the model there due to low sales and the comparative success of its SUV models.

While BMW Australia did not blame weak sales for the demise of the model locally, CEO Vikram Pawah told CarAdvice: "The BMW 6 Series GT has always been a niche product for us in Australia. [BMW Australia] will continue to cater to specific customers by delivering products that suit their individual requirements."

The BMW 6 Series GT was also dropped from the North American market in 2019, with the smaller 3 Series Gran Turismo retired globally earlier this year.

The BMW 6 Series GT was introduced in Australia in late 2017, with 233 examples sold by the end of April this year.

The removal of the 6 Series GT from the local line-up means BMW Australia will have no model directly competing with the likes of the Audi A7 Sportback or Mercedes-Benz CLS.

The A7 achieved 123 sales in 2019, while the CLS's 2019 result of 220 cars registered in 2019 nearly topped the 6er's lifetime sales.

In Europe, the refreshed BMW 6 Series GT will feature 48-volt mild-hybrid technology across all trims, a revised front end design and LED headlights.

A digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen, sports leather steering wheel with rearranged function buttons, and a suite of safety including steering, lane-keep, parking and reversing assist will come as standard on the new BMW 6 Series GT.

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