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BMW Wants a Bigger SUV: More X7 Rumors Surface

We don’t know if you were aware of this, but before the X5 was introduced in 1999, the Bavarians only made sedans and estates. Sure, most of the automotive world was appalled at first, indicating that the large SUV wasn’t all that good off the beaten track, but that hasn’t stopped it selling like it's made of gold.

Consequently, the ‘X’ family has grown in leaps and bounds, adding the X1, X3 and X6 as well. Both the X5 and X6 have even spawned M performance versions, and the X3 crossover might follow soon. But that's by no means the end of the story!

You see, some in the American market are demanding a bigger luxury SUV that can compete in a sumo contest with stuff like the Cadillac Escalade and the Toyota Sequoia. According to Automobilemag.com, the rumored X7 (codenamed F17) will go head-to-head with the.. the Audi Q9. To make sure it doesn’t steel away customers from the X5, it will also come as standard with a third row of seats for seven-passenger capability.

While that does sound outrageous, and just rumors aren’t enough to show such a vehicle is on the way, the X5 didn’t make a lot of sense at first either, the BMW SAV segment (X3, X5, X6) in the US continues to show growth with sales for the year-to-date up 43.3 percent to 19,600 in the first four months of 2011 compared with 13,675 in the same period of 2010.

This isn't the first we've heard of the X7, of course. The program was reported to be canceled back in 2008, thanks largely to poor economic conditions. The model had been scheduled for a 2013 introduction.

Has the economy improved enough and what will be the X7 effect on the BMW brand’s image? Will customers buy a luxury 7-seater SUV with all the creature comforts? We can’t say for sure right now, but we'd like to hear your oppinion.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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