BMW has already confirmed that the X family will grow in 2018 with the X7 and BMW X8 by 2020.The SUV will slot above the X5 and X6, will be the company’s largest vehicle yet, and will provide seating for up to eight people thanks to a three-row configuration. With the X2 already on its way to showrooms, BMW’s X lineup will include seven different models.
But it appears that the X7 won’t be the last crossover to join in. Rumors from early 2017 claimed that BMW also wants to develop an X8 model and this scenario keeps gaining traction according to more recent reports.
The news comes from Klaus Frohlich, BMW’s head of development, who told Autocar that the German firm is evaluating a coupe-styled version of the X7. If BMW indeed greenlights the X8, and it’s likely to happen given that firm sees some room for it in markets like China, it will probably go against the Audi Q8 and the Range Rover Velar.
Unlike the X7, it will probably be a four- or five-seater, with an emphasis on rear-passenger comfort. BMW may also want to pit the X8 against low-end versions of the Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and Lamborghini Urus, so it might become the most expensive SUV in the lineup. If it happens, the X8 should share underpinnings, tech, and drivetrains with the upcoming X7.
