For those of shocked or appalled at the news of a
BMW X4
, the latest news from Munich (well Spartanburg, actually) won't be especially welcome. The BMW X family is set to expand again with the introduction of an X7.
X7 for those who find the 5 a bit teeny
For now we only know that the project has been given the go-ahead, described by BMW's board chairman Norbert Reithofer simply as a 'larger X model'. No details or pics just yet, so we'll just have to ponder on possibilities for now.
Firstly the very confirmation of the X7 indicates the importance of SUVs to BMW now. The announcement was part of a wider release about Spartanburg, that production will be upped by 50 per cent to 450,000 cars with the ongoing sales success of the X3, X5 and X6. The X1 is made away from BMW's 'centre of competence for X vehicles' in Leipzig.
Though much manipulated over time, BMW's number naming strategy still has some bearing on the car involved, even if the digits are now running out! So an X7 should in theory be a 7 Series 4x4, a bigger SUV even than the X5. Presumably it will have the upcoming Bentley SUV, its Audi Q7 relative, the Mercedes GL and Range Rover in its sights. Presumably the US will be the main market for the X7 as it looks like being a bloody massive vehicle.
That's it for now; the X7 will happen and BMW probably won't be able to make enough. In other more positive news, the M3/M4 isn't far away. Is it?