Launched in 2008, the BMW X6 is not exactly what one would call an old model. However, BMW plans to replace it next year, right after the market launch of its new, slightly smaller X4 Sports Activity Coupe.
The all-new X6 will be based on the same platform as the third-generation X5, which will be the largest X5 yet. While the future X6 will have a similar silhouette to the current model, the difference will be in details, which are expected to be more aggressive.
“We want to give our sporting models a more individual look, further separating them visually from the more practical models in our line-up,” a BMW insider reportedly told UK’s Autocar magazine
If you thought the X6 is as big as can be, you might be intrigued to learn that the next generation model will have a slightly longer wheelbase, which will translate in additional legroom for rear passengers – and larger overall footprint. On the technical side, the engine lineup will include straight-six gasoline and diesel engines as well as V8 gasoline units. There’s also a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid that BMW is working on, which is expected to arrive in 2015.
The launch date of the all-new X6 is yet unknown, but the car is rumored to premiere at the 2014 Moscow motor show – since Russia is one of the world’s best markets for the X6. Sales could begin in the third quarter of next year. As for the third-generation X5, production will begin in August 2013, with the world premiere expected at the Frankfurt motor show this autumn.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
