The company has begun working on sportier M variants of its X7 SUV. The car will be showcased at the Los Angeles motor show in November. The range-topping X7 is based on the iPerformance concept, which was shown at last year's Frankfurt motor show.
The seven-seater will be powered by a naturally aspirated engine, rather than the hybrid powertrain of the X7 iPerformance. A hybrid variant will come later into the line-up. The SUV will be built in the company’s factory in Spartanburg, in the US state of South Carolina.
This will be the largest SUV made by BMW and the production version’s dimensions are likely to remain the same as the concept. There will be a lot of upmarket BMW Design Features, such as halo daytime running lights. The light bar that was seen on the X7 iPerformance is not carried over to the production model. Sources say it will be equipped with six and eight-cylinder engines, such as the 3.0-litre diesel in 30d, 40d and 50d guises and the twin-turbo 4.4-litre petrol V8. The car will also be available in an M Performance model.
