- Exterior changes are blink-and-miss

- Grille gets light-up function like the X6

Apart from revamping its portfolio for MY2022, BMW has comprehensively paid attention to the 8 Series line-up which gets a new LCI treatment for the first time. For the uninitiated, LCI in BMW’s say is Life Cycle Impulse, or in general terms – a mid-life update.

And by the 8 Series line-up, we mean the 8 Series Coupe, 8 Series Gran Coupe, and 8 Series Convertible, apart from the M8 Competition Coupe, M8 Competition Convertible and the M8 Competition Gran Coupe. In a typical BMW fashion, this LCI update is blink-and-miss and you’d have to be a hardcore BMW enthusiast to find the differences.

First up, is the grille. Thankfully it hasn’t grown in size, but now it lights up. Like the X6 before it, the 8 line-up gets the ‘Iconic Glow’ kidney grille as standard. On the inside, there’s a larger 12.3-inch display for the iDrive and Merino leather is also standard. There are five new paint schemes as well as two new wheel designs as part of the update.

For the M850i version, there’re M goodies like blacked-out finishes on callipers, grille, spoiler, and Shadowline headlights with dark inserts along with M wing mirrors. There’s also the classic BMW Motorsport up for grabs as BMW is celebrating 50 years of M GmbH. There’s also a limited run 8 X Jeff Koons version as collector items.

Meanwhile, the M8 line-up gets optional M Carbon bucket seats on the inside along with Shadowline blackness to the LED headlamps. There are exposed CFRP inserts all around the cabin as well as illuminated M8 badges on the seats which now get heated function as well. This being a full-fat M, there’s merino leather and Alcantara draped upholstery along with a contrast colour scheme available as optional extra.

BMW has discontinued the non-Competition versions from the M8 line-up. We should see the LCI update for the 8 and M8 land at our shores later this year.