Photo: Taekang Lee on Behance
The thought alone of BMW building a pickup is enough to make some of the brand's most hardcore fans feel dizzy, but they would probably need hospitalization if actually turned out to look anything like this rendering here.
Thinking about a vehicle of this type with the BMW badge on it was the stuff of dreams (some might say nightmares) not too long ago, but now that Mercedes-Benz has gone and launched the X-Class, we might witness the ancient battle between Germany's premium manufacturers inside a completely new segment.
A premium pickup sounds as useful and appropriate as a low-cost limousine, and yet Mercedes-Benz gambled on it. Considering its deal with the Renault-Nissan alliance and the access to the Navara platform, it wasn't much of an effort, but it still required more than a simple badge swap.
Assuming the X-Class proves massively popular and Audi is compelled to introduce its own take on this niche, it too will have access to the Volkswagen Amarok as a starting point. BMW, on the other hand, would have to either start from scratch or strike a partnership with one of the more experienced companies specifically for this project.
According to recent reports, the Bavarians are mulling the possibility of building one based on the next X5's platform. That would mean none of the classic body-on-frame approach as used by Mercedes-Benz with the X-Class. Instead, the BMW pickup would have a unibody setup, instantly making it a completely different offering from the rest of the bunch.
Would that be enough to create the monster we see in these renderings? No, not very likely, even though the truck would probably be aimed more at a lifestyle-oriented clientele than the well-off farmer or construction worker.
This very aggressive interpretation of a BMW pickup belongs to South Korean designer Taekang Lee. It shows a vehicle that seems built to tackle the rough terrain with ease thanks to its very short overhangs (particularly in the front) and large off-road tires.
The front end is reminiscent of the Concept X7 iPerformance, which was probably the right call as any BMW pickup would not come sooner than 2020, and the concept previews the company's future design language. However, it's the rear that we like the most: it offers a very good and likely take on how the BMW design could fit in a pickup layout, should that actually happen one day.
A premium pickup sounds as useful and appropriate as a low-cost limousine, and yet Mercedes-Benz gambled on it. Considering its deal with the Renault-Nissan alliance and the access to the Navara platform, it wasn't much of an effort, but it still required more than a simple badge swap.
Assuming the X-Class proves massively popular and Audi is compelled to introduce its own take on this niche, it too will have access to the Volkswagen Amarok as a starting point. BMW, on the other hand, would have to either start from scratch or strike a partnership with one of the more experienced companies specifically for this project.
According to recent reports, the Bavarians are mulling the possibility of building one based on the next X5's platform. That would mean none of the classic body-on-frame approach as used by Mercedes-Benz with the X-Class. Instead, the BMW pickup would have a unibody setup, instantly making it a completely different offering from the rest of the bunch.
Would that be enough to create the monster we see in these renderings? No, not very likely, even though the truck would probably be aimed more at a lifestyle-oriented clientele than the well-off farmer or construction worker.
This very aggressive interpretation of a BMW pickup belongs to South Korean designer Taekang Lee. It shows a vehicle that seems built to tackle the rough terrain with ease thanks to its very short overhangs (particularly in the front) and large off-road tires.
The front end is reminiscent of the Concept X7 iPerformance, which was probably the right call as any BMW pickup would not come sooner than 2020, and the concept previews the company's future design language. However, it's the rear that we like the most: it offers a very good and likely take on how the BMW design could fit in a pickup layout, should that actually happen one day.
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