The Bavarian manufacturer is gearing up for the next SUV, the X8. It is expected to hit the market at the end of 2021.
Rumors of a new flagship crossover in the BMW lineup emerged after the X7 iPerformance show car was unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. There is still no official confirmation, but it is expected that the new product will be a crossover named X8, because in the current X-line there is a SUV with numbers from 1 to 7. It is also assumed that the model will have a full-fledged “hot” version with an increase in the form the letters M (all crossovers of the brand have them, except for the X1).
Back in the spring of this year, information about the names of new products was indirectly confirmed by an application that the Bavarian manufacturer filed with the German patent office: we are talking about the right to a new trademark – X8 M. It is assumed that the “ordinary” X8 will be released at the end of next year, and its »Version will appear in 2022.
Initially, it was assumed that the BMW X8 (in accordance with current trends) will receive a coupe-like body, but now the British Autocar reports that the future flagship will retain the traditional “square” roofline, although it will probably be a little more sloping. compared to the X7.
The BMW X8 will probably retain three rows of seats: the cabin can be designed for either seven riders or six, in which case the driver and passengers will have luxurious captain’s chairs.
Previously, it was assumed that the X8 will receive a platform that will be developed from scratch in the M Performance division. But, most likely, the modernized version of the CLAR (Cluster Architecture) platform, on which the X7 crossover is based, will still form the basis of the new flagship, and some nodes will also get from it. The motor range may include six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines with “electric suspension” (so-called “soft hybrids”). In addition, the lineup is likely to include a plug-in hybrid, and the X8 M50i version under the hood is expected to have a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with 530 hp output.
The most powerful production car of the Bavarian brand’s M line is expected to be the X8 M (its internal name is Project Rockstar). It is expected to receive an all-wheel drive xDrive system and a hybrid powertrain, which will be based on the 4.4-liter V8 from the BMW X6 M. The system’s electric motor power will be over 200 hp. According to preliminary information, the total output of the hybrid X8 M will be about 760 hp.
Also the new product will definitely not be equipped with a V12 engine (from the M760i), since the company had previously announced that this 6.6-liter engine was being retired: BMW decided not to spend money on expensive upgrades that are required to bring the engine to compliance with stricter emission standards.
Of course, there is no official information about the prices of the future flagship crossover and its “charged” version. Autocar believes that for the base BMW X8 in the British market they will ask for at least 80 thousand pounds, and for the version with an increase in M, most likely, you will have to pay about 100 thousand. pounds.