2011 BMW 6 Series Spied And Rendered

With its most recent update coming only late last year, the next generation BMW 6 Series isn't expected to arrive until later this year or early in 2011.

Joining photos obtained earlier this year of the soft-top convertible, these new spy photos reveal that testing of the 6 Series Coupe is also underway. With BMW's trademark swirls and cover panels wrapped around the both cars, it's clear that these are prototypes of the actual production cars.

Our new rendering (top of article) offers a glimpse of how the new 6 Series might appear.

The new 6 Series is expected to follow the same subtle restyling that the 5 and 7 Series have undergone since the departure of former design boss Chris Bangle. The recently-revealed BMW Gran Coupe Concept is also likely to have an influence on its styling.

Above, what appears at first glance to be a regular hardtop roof may in fact be a folding hard-top, meaning that the new 6 Series may have two convertible options.

The cars shown here appear to carry a lower and wider stance than the current model, on what looks to be a slightly longer wheelbase.

Among its powertrain options, the next generation 6 Series will likely be offered with BMW's new N55 single-turbo inline-six petrol engine and a twin-turbo V8.