Should BMW build it?
by Ciprian Florea, onEver 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
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.
Further Reading
Read our full speculative review on the BMW Pickup.
Read our full speculative review on the 2019 BMW X7.
Read our full review on the 2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class.
