X7

Make
BMW
Segment
SUV

Truck buyers are clearly looking for luxury, as the average price paid for pickups in the US is now over $35,000. Even though American trucks like the new Ram 1500 offer plenty of luxury, some buyers are still yearning for a true premium-branded truck from BMW or Mercedes. Mercedes has already confirmed its X-Class isn't coming to the US and BMW has also ruled out the idea of building a truck. So what the heck is this new concept?

To celebrate the BMW Motorrad Days (hence the motorcycle in the bed), the company has built a new concept vehicle called the X7 Pick-up. The truck is a unique one-off conversion performed by BMW Group vocational trainees with the help of the company's Concept Vehicle Construction and Model Technology divisions.

This particular X7 is an xDrive40i model powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six producing 335 horsepower. But since the conversion doesn't affect the front end, there's no reason why the truck couldn't be based on the M50i model with the 523-hp 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. BMW has built a special cargo area with a fine-polished wood finish and a height-adjustable two-level air suspension.

The bed area is 4.6 feet closed or 6.5 feet opened, and with the tailgate down,\ the area is large enough to fit a BMW F 850 GS motorcycle. The only downside of having a bed is the loss of the third row, so the X7 Pick-up is strictly a five-seater.

"I am pleased about the synergies between BMW Group Vocational Training, Concept Vehicle Construction and Model Technology, allowing these young talents to prove their abilities with such an extraordinary project," concludes Milagros Caiña-Andree, Member of the Board for Human Resources of the BMW AG.

The build took 10 months to complete by 12 trainees who turned a test vehicle that was meant to be scrapped into a fully functional, road-legal truck. Since BMW builds the X7 in the US, the company could sell this truck without incurring the Chicken Tax. But there is some bad news, BMW has no plans to put it into production.