BMW X7 Pickup Could Be BMW's Answer To The Mercedes X-Class

Should BMW build it?

by Ciprian Florea, on November 15, 2018, 12:00

Ever since BMW entered the SUV market with the X5 back in 1999, enthusiasts have been clamoring for the Germans to produce a pickup truck. Now that Mercedes-Benz is offering the X-Class, a BMW-badged truck seems to make more sense. With the flagship X7 unveiled a few weeks ago, we can’t help but wonder whether BMW should consider a truck version at last.

The Bavarian Pickup

BMW X7 Pickup Could Be BMW's Answer to the Mercedes X-Class
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Needless to say, the X7 looks fantastic as a truck in our official rendering.

It’s massive and boxy enough to look imposing, just like a truck made for the U.S. market should. Granted, an X7-based pickup would be too big to go against the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, but it would give BMW access into this market.

Unfortunately, the German firm isn't very keen on making one.

Last month, Klaus Frolich, a board member for BMW development, said that the company considers a truck doesn’t make for a good business case. The official added that BMW doesn’t want to use an existing monocoque chassis for such a vehicle and that a brand-new body-on-frame design would be too expensive to be worthwhile.

It’s worth noting that Mercedes-Benz got around this problem by building the X-Class on the body-on-frame chassis of the Nissan Navara, thanks to its cooperation with the Renault-Nissan alliance. However, BMW doesn’t have such an option, although Rolls-Royce recently launched its own SUV, the Cullinan.

What do you think? Should BMW develop a pickup truck soon? Should it be based on the X7? Let us know in the comments section below.