BMW's Frankfurt "Surprise" Could Be Any One Of These Models

BMW’s positioning itself to have a busy few months ahead with so many debuts on the table. Not that I'm wishing for lighter loads because the cars we’re expecting to see from Bavaria will likely be staples in the brand’s future lineup. Bimmer already confirmed plans to unveil the BMW Roadster Concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in two weeks. Now, the German automaker’s hinting at more “exciting surprises” to come, this time at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Obviously, BMW didn’t say what the surprise is going to be because that’ll defeat the whole purpose of the whole thing be a surprise. But company chairman Harald Krueger did drop this bombshell following statements he made about the company’s plan for a greener future in a recent conference call. So it is possible that this surprise has something to do with a model that will be a big part of that “greener future.” If it is, it narrows down the list of potential models that could star in this surprise, and since we’re always suckers for a little sleuthing work, we’ve pinpointed three models that could be Bimmer’s Frankfurt surprise.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Is it the BMW i8 Roadster?

It could very well be, but if it is, it wouldn’t really be a surprise since we’ve actually been waiting for this car to arrive for so long now. It would certainly be the most sensible one given how long the car has been in development relative to its coupe counterpart, but again, we’re already expecting the i8 Roadster to arrive sooner than later. A Frankfurt reveal would be good in the sense that it finally arrived, but surprising? Nope.

If BMW really wants to make a surprise, it shouldn’t be the BMW i8 Roadster because there’s nothing at all surprising about a car that’s already received its fair share of concept treatments, not to mention having albums upon album’s worth of spy shots.

Note: photo of the BMW i8 Roadster

Is it an all-electric BMW 3 Series?

This falls into the same category as the BMW i8 Roadster in the sense that we’ve already heard reports about the car being in the pipeline. There are even new reports saying that a 3 Series EV is already on its way to Frankfurt so there’s not much of a surprise anymore if it does end up being the subject of Bimmer’s teasing. I will confess though that I am excited to see the 3 Series EV, largely because it has the potential to be the future workhorse of BMW’s entire lineup should hybrids and EVs become the main points of focus for the company.

If a prototype of the 3 Series EV is shown in Frankfurt as the company’s “exciting surprise,” I’d be curious to see how it’s going to turn out, both aesthetically and functionally. It’s especially important now for a company like BMW to slowly build up on its EV models since a rival like Tesla has already introduced the Model 3, its third of four EV models that will likely end up being one of the all-electric 3er’s biggest rivals.

The timing would certainly be right for a Frankfurt debut for the electric 3 Series. But surprising? Nope.

Note: photo of the BMW 3 Series

Is it the BMW X7 Concept FCV?

Now, this is where my money’s at, though I’m still not confident about being right on this. What I do know is that there have been rumors that BMW and Toyota are co-developing more than just one model. We already know that the BMW Roadster Concept will give birth to one of these models, but the other model that’s being thrown around is a fuel cell-powered X7 SUV. Krueger already mentioned that the X7 is scheduled to be launched in 2019 so the timing would be right for a concept to appear, sporting an alternative fuel source that fits into what Bimmer’s plans are for a greener future.

Details about the model are still scarce other than rumors of it being an FCV. But isn’t that what makes a potential debut an “exciting surprise?”

I could be wrong, anyway, if none of the three models end up being that surprise, but given the context clues that were presented and the timing of having the Frankfurt Motor Show being a mere month or so away, I’m confident that it’s going to be one of these three models. More specifically, I do think it’s the X7 Concept FCV.