Creating a new SUV, especially for the luxury segment, requires a lot of work. Until recently, details of the testing various vehicles went through during the development process were kept under wraps by manufacturers, and customers were presented with the final product when everything was ready.
That is no longer the case. Faced with an avalanche of spy photographers that chase the cars wherever they go, carmakers now often release their own photos of the vehicles being developed.
The latest such official leak, if it can be called that, comes from BMW and refers to the new X7 Sports Activity Vehicle. Slotted to be officially presented during the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show in November, the largest BMW ever in very cinematically way shown while undergoing testing at the polar circle, on desert tracks, and on the highway.
The SUV is of course still camouflaged in the image and video released by BMW, showing nothing of the actual lines that will create the “first luxury-segment BMW X model.”
The prototypes being tested by BMW have been manufactured in the U.S., at the Spartanburg plant from where all the other X7s will come from.
“In the new BMW X7, luxury, diversity, and sportiness combine to form a unique entity,” says the Bavarian manufacturer in a statement.
“The current tests impressively demonstrate the driving experience that can be enjoyed in the sophisticated ambiance of the vehicle’s interior even under adverse climatic conditions and on the most varying terrain.”
When it hits the market, the X7 will come as a seven-seater SUV, with a wheelbase measuring 3.01 meters (9.8 feet) and a length of around 5.01 meters (16 feet), in effect the largest BMW ever produced.
Engine wise, the car will be offered with both gasoline and diesel engines, as well as with a hybrid powertrain. M variants are of course to make it into production as well.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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