By now, most if not everyone has seen images of the stunning new BMW 8 Series concept. If that weren't enough, the German automaker then went ahead and released photos of a camouflaged production-spec M8 testing to, you know, prove they're serious. But what you need to fully understand is that the new 8 Series also represents a shift towards a new design language that, in the words of Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design, is "cleaner, crisper and more sophisticated."

There are only two lines in the body side, for example, and the overall skin has much more of a seamless look, similar to what Mercedes-Benz has done with its cars to great success. Remember, the 8 Series will be the flagship of the entire BMW lineup, even slotted above i8.

Whereas the i8 is a technological showcase, the 8 Series will be more of a grand display of luxury and design. Hooydonk also points out this is the first time BMW has gone with a fastback design for one of its coupes. With its wide dual kidney front grille and as narrow as possible head lights, the overall design is really quite something, and we think BMW is on the right track. Of course, we'll just have to wait and see what the final production ready 8 Series will look like, but considering the concept looks around 95 percent production ready, what we see is mostly what we'll be getting, and we're not at all complaining.