BMW Concept X7 iPerformance revealed
BMW has officially unveiled the Concept X7 ahead of its debut at next week’s Frankfurt motor show, just days after it first surfaced online.
According to the German brand, the X7 presents a new take on luxury, with a highly revised interior that is likely to represent the future of the brand’s interior design direction.
The concept seats six, though the production model will be offered with a choice of seven seats as well.
The BMW X7, which will go into production in 2018, takes numerous design elements from recent BMW concepts – such as the Concept Z4 revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The concept car is the boldest implementation of the Bavarian manufacturer’s double-kidney front grille we’ve seen to date, supported by slim headlights housing quad-LED daytime-running light rings.
The concept form wears the iPerformance badge, denoting BMW’s eDrive system, which sees the coupling of an electric motor with the company’s TwinPower Turbo petrol engine, which BMW says will be able to run on pure electric form (though without giving any specifics on range or battery capacity).
We suspect BMW may use a similar powertrain setup to that found in the likely the ’40e’ variants of the smaller X5 SUV and 7 Series limousine.
That would see the X7 hybrid make use of a 190kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol with an 83kW/250Nm electric motor for system outputs of 240kW and 500Nm.
Undoubtedly non-hybrid versions of the X7 will also be offered in production trim.
BMW Australia has confirmed that it will take the X7 when it goes into production, with the model already approved for right-hand drive production. Given it will go into production next year, it’s likely that Australia won’t see the large seven-seater offering from BMW until at least the end of 2018 if not early 2019.
The BMW X7 will take on various upper-large luxury SUVs from the Mercedes-Benz GLS to the Range Rover and the Tesla Model X.
Check out the photo gallery for more photos. We will bring you more details of the X7 from the Frankfurt motor show next week.
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