When it comes to learning of a vehicle on the comeback trail or a new model that will be offered one of the best places to look first is the Patent and Trademark office. As it stands now BMW has filed for trademarks on a set of vehicle names that give us the idea that a particular vehicle is on its way to the market. This is a story that has made its way around more than once and has lost and gained steam along the way. With this new filing it seems BMW is serious and we will finally see a long awaited new vehicle.

The vehicle lineup in question is the 8-Series. BMW filed to trademark the names of the 825, 830, 835, 850, 845, 860, M850 and M8. This gives us the thought that the previous news a new 8 Series BMW coupe will be offered as soon as 2020. Now that the trademarks have been filed the expectation is going to be a reality and the S-Class Coupe from Mercedes-Benz will finally have a worthy competitor on the market. The sedan version already matches up with the 7 Series, but so far the S-Class Coupe has been able to stand tall as the head of the market.

The S-Class offers the S400, S500, S63 AMG and S65 AMG but if BMW uses all the names it has filed for there will be a much larger array of choices for us to select from. Mercedes-Benz offers the S-Class Coupe in engines from a six-cylinder up to a twelve-cylinder model and gives us a huge amount of power to go along with these engines. Of course BMW isn’t actually expected to use all the numbers right away, but the possibility is there and they could easily fill each one with a model that would give us a wide array of great coupes to choose from.

Currently the 6-Series is at the top of the spectrum for BMW as the grand touring model, but with the inclusion of the 8 series this model could actually become more of a performance name and give the Porsche 911 and Mercedes-AMG GT a run for their money. This wider spectrum of vehicles could really open the floodgates for BMW, especially if they embrace some new styling and give us a lineup that doesn’t look the same across the board.

While it seems we are getting our hopes up for the 8 Series we should remind ourselves we have though this car was coming since the E31 went away several years ago. This means we should be cautiously optimistic about the new car and what it may bring us, or even if it will be produced. The fact that BMW filed for the trademarks on the names it needs is a step forward, but only a small one and we have been let down before. At this point we get to simply wait and see what comes from this amazing German brand.