BMW plans SUV above X7, confirms electric 1 Series

BMW laid out some of its model plans during its Capital Market Day this week, including details about the new vehicles at the top and tail of its range.

With its three keys markets of Europe, China and the US all having quite different tastes, the automaker has recommitted to developing some models specifically for each region.

At one end, BMW says there will be a vehicle in the "high-volume entry segment" in Europe based on the electric-only Neue Klasse platform. 

This basically confirms an earlier report the next-generation 1 Series will feature an electric i1 hatch on the dedicated EV architecture. While high-performance Neue Klasse variants have a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup, base models are rear-wheel drive. 

The i1 should therefore return the 1 Series to its rear-wheel drive roots for the first time since 2019, but it's expected the accompanying internal-combustion engine version of the 1 Series will continue to share a front-wheel drive architecture with Mini's petrol and diesel cars.

If the i3 and eighth-generation 3 Series, released just this week, are anything to go by, the i1 and 1 Series will share a lot styling cues despite being only distantly related.

At the other end of the lineup, the automaker says it's "considering introducing an additional offering above the current top-end model, the BMW X7, that would be closely tailored to the needs of the US market".

The company's wording is interesting as it doesn't specify if this potential new SUV will be larger than the X7, just that it will be above it, leaving open at least three scenarios.

Possibly the most obvious, but also most investment intensive, option is an even larger SUV, which might wear the X9 name. Another option is a "coupe" version of the X7, which could be branded as the X8 to fit in with BMW's current nomenclature. 

Lastly, BMW could just build a more luxurious version of the X7. Think of it as a Bavarian take on Maybach. 

Speaking of luxury, BMW says BMW Alpina will unveil its first model developed under its ownership in 2027. Little is known about this car, except that it's "inspired by the BMW 7 Series". It and subsequent models will fill in the space between BMW and Rolls-Royce.

As for China, the automaker was a little more vague. In order to boost its bottom line, BMW will simultaneously expand "local production in the high-volume segments" with models based on the Neue Klasse architecture, while also culling imported vehicles to just those "with the highest margins".

BMW is considering exporting cars made in China to Southeast Asian markets, although it didn't name any candidates.

The BMW Brilliance joint venture currently produces the X1, iX1, X3 and X5, as well as the short- and long-wheelbase 3 Series, long-wheelbase 5 Series and the i5. Neue Klasse production begins later this year with the long wheelbase i3.

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