The X7 has yet to be unveiled, yet BMW is already considering yet another high-riding vehicle, the long-rumored X8.
Poised to take on the upcoming Audi Q8 and be offered as a more affordable alternative to the likes of the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley Bentayga, the BMW X8 could debut in two years’ time, Autocar reports.
The Munich-based company already trademarked the moniker in various countries around the world earlier this year. It’s also been said that BMW did the same in some markets in the Far East more recently.
“There is room for the X8, especially in markets like China, but there are no decisions yet”, the brand’s chief of development, Klaus Frohlich, told the British publication. “Each car must have a distinct character, and these are the sort of areas that take time to evaluate.”
Also Read: New BMW X7: This Is What It’ll Look Like, Plus Everything Else We Know
Frohlich also admitted that “it is early to talk about the X8” and that “one of the first decisions I made when I worked on product strategy was to take the X5 and make the X6”.
Essentially a posh version of the upcoming X7, the X8 will likely get a sloping roofline. But since it will probably be chauffeur-driven for most owners, there have been talks whether lowering the roofline behind the B pillars is the way to go, or if adding a few inches to the wheelbase and then giving it the sportier look should do the trick.
Unlike the X7, which will get three rows of seats, the X8 is said to offer seating for up to five. There will also be a four-seat variant with second-row captain’s chairs.
Powering it will probably be the twin-turbo 6.6-liter V12 sourced from the M760Li. Customers should also expect a PHEV powertrain, with the twin-turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder and electric motor that’s used in the 740e iPerformance being a likely candidate.
