As good as the BMW 7 Series may be – and trust us when we say it is very good indeed – it just can't compete with the marketplace juggernaut that is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class , at least not where global sales are concerned. And with sales come profits, especially at the six-digit price point many of these high-end luxury cars sell for. Put simply, Mercedes is cashing in on the S-Class , and BMW wants a bigger piece of that pie.It comes as little surprise, then, that Autocar reports BMW is currently considering two proposals for a new 8 Series that would slot just above its current 7 Series. One option is the currently- en-vogue four-door coupe. The other option is a more traditional two-door coupe, likely with a cabriolet option. The last time we heard such rumors , BMW was dismissing them back in 2013 Whichever way BMW decides to take its 8 Series plans, Autocar suggests that a concept vehicle ought to hit the show circuit in sometime in 2018, with a production model following in 2020. The car would be based on the underpinnings of the latest 7 Series, with a price considerably less than the Rolls-Royce Ghost (which also falls under the BMW umbrella).Considering BMW's penchant for multiple model variants, we won't be surprised if all three options get the green light, with a Gran Coupe version standing as the flagship. With the 6 Series Gran Coupe currently priced just below the 7 Series (and at a hefty premium to a comparable 5 Series four-door), an 8 Series would likely brush up against $100,000 for a base price. That might not take much out of S-Class sales, but it would make some tidy profits for BMW.