E70 Price speculation

After doing some research, it appears the 530i increased in price about $3-4K when the model changed from E39 to the E60. The base price is now @$46K.

Do you think we can expect to see a similar price hike for the E70? Right now, the 3.0starts off at about @$42K. I can't see the new model remaining $4K less than the 530i.

Thoughts?

In addition to the typical price increase for a new generation, one big big uncertainty in E70 pricing is - whether it uses the new N54 bi-turbo engine as the entry-level engine, and if yes, how much the $ difference is.

BMW is still tight-mouthed about 335 sedan and the pricing. The delta between the current 330 and upcoming 335 (if true) will be the price buyers need to pay for a more powerful engine.

Nevertheless, I don't think BMW will push E70's starting price too high, even with the new N54 engine. In today's "gas price higher and higher" market, SUV sales as a whole has already plumeted. It's not wise to push something already "less affordable" to even "lesser affordable".