600-HP BMW X7 M Needs To Become A Reality

We wouldn’t say no to a 600-hp BMW X7.

The BMW X7 was finally revealed last week as the automaker’s largest and most lavish SUV yet. Currently, the most powerful variant uses a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 456 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, enabling the sizeable SUV to hit 0-60 mph in a respectable 5.2 seconds. But is there room for a more potent X7? This render artist certainly thinks so.

X-Tomi has offered a convincing mock-up showing what a BMW X7 M Performance SUV could look like. The BMW X7 already looks imposing thanks to its sheer size, so slapping on some M Performance parts heightens the aggression. Like other BMW M models, the souped-up X7 features larger intakes in the front bumper, wider wheel arches, and a BMW M logo on the gigantic grille.

As far-fetched as it may sound right now, a high-performance BMW X7 M could happen. The automaker admitted that a hardcore X7 M is being considered, but nothing has been confirmed. Still, it gives us hope that this render could become a reality one day.

As for potential powertrains, it would make sense for the X7 M to use the M760Li’s meaty twin-turbo 6.6-liter V12 engine. In the M760Li, this unit produces 600 horsepower, which would enable the X7 M to tread on the toes of the Range Rover Sport SVR and Mercedes-AMG GLS 63.

These Two USA-Made BMWs Have Just Become More Expensive In China

The additional cost of tariffs has to be made up for somehow.

It has begun. Some of the first US-made vehicles being exported to China are experiencing price increases due to the additional costs of tariffs on US car imports. Reuters reports that the Spartanburg, South Carolina-built BMW X5 and X6 crossover SUVs, both very popular in the world’s biggest auto market, have increased in price by 4 to 7 percent, effective starting today in China.

Interestingly, some industry analysts figured the expected price increases would have been more, but BMW is apparently willing to absorb most of the higher costs. How come? Because there’s fierce competition among luxury brands in China and adding too much to the price tags is not in BMW’s best interest.

The automaker has no choice but to do something in regards to a price increase ever since China began imposing new tariffs earlier this month on roughly $34 billion of US imports, which also includes soybeans and even lobsters. For US-built vehicles, China also added an extra 25 percent import levy starting July 6. This means China now has a 40 percent total import duty on all cars from the US. BMW doesn’t appear to be too pleased by this latest development, with a spokeswoman telling Reuters: “BMW stands for free (trade) but can’t stand still without taking actions to respond to the market changes.”

Spartanburg also builds the popular X4, which is also imported to China. For now, it doesn’t appear BMW has increased its price tag, but that could change in the near future. Not surprisingly, BMW isn’t alone in its dilemma of racing prices and trying to absorb most costs. Ford has already said that, for the time being, it won’t increase its prices in China and will absorb costs in an “effort to sustain its business momentum.” BMW’s arch-rival, Mercedes-Benz, slightly increased the price of the GLE midsize SUV in China, which is built in Alabama. Chances are we haven’t heard the last of US-built auto price increases in the world’s biggest auto market.

BMW M3 Wagon Could Become A Reality For The First Time Ever

Assuming it does happen, will it come to the US?

Now that the all-new BMW 3 Series sedan has made its debut appearance, it’ll soon be time for the wagon. If reports prove accurate, the G20 generation 3 Series Wagon (codenamed G21), also called an estate or Touring, will debut next March at Geneva. That’s not a particularly big surprise, but a new report coming from Autocar is far more interesting.

BMW is reportedly considering an M3 Wagon in order to do battle with the Audi RS4 Avant and Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate. If Munich goes ahead with the plan, it would be the first-ever M3 wagon. We’re so down for that. Aside from having a powerful wagon to combat its two main German rivals, BMW supposedly sees a solid business case to green light the project.

Because a regular non-M 3 Series wagon has already been completed and the next-generation M3’s (and M4) engine and other relevant details have already been decided and sorted, the development costs for an M3 wagon would be relatively low. Another factor working in the M3 wagon’s favor is that there won’t be (thank gosh!) a new 3 Series GT. Slow sales are what killed it.

And speaking of sales, would there even be enough interest in the US for an M3 wagon? Probably not. Wagons, in general, have long fallen out of favor with the American car-buying public. They all want crossovers and, very conveniently enough, BMW has several to choose from. At the moment, you can still buy the outgoing generation 3 Series Sports Wagon in the US which comes powered by a turbocharged inline-four with 248 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.

The closest thing to an M3 wagon America will likely receive will be the X3 M. Remember, neither the Audi RS4 Avant nor the AMG C63 Wagon are sold in the US, so it would make no sense for BMW either. As of right now, BMW has not officially confirmed plans for an M3 wagon, but again, the business case does make sense this time around, at least for Europe. Another piece of forbidden fruit for Americans is sounding very likely.

This BMW Z4 Wagon Needs To Become A Reality

In fact, we think that every sporty BMW model should be offered in this Shooting Brake body style

BMW recently introduced the latest Z4 and while it is a stunning design we have had to come to terms with the fact that there will be no manual derivative (for now) or a full-fat M version either. Ok, so the US-spec M40i makes 385 horsepower (which is more than the Europeans get) and is as quick as an M2 around the Nurburgring but how hard could it be to offer a hardtop variant as in the original Z3 and Z4 M Coupes?

Those curiously-shaped limited-edition models have now become modern classics and while we have already seen one render of what the new Z4 would look like with a hardtop, visual artist Rain Prisk has released a rendering of what he thinks a shooting-brake style Z4 should look like.

We think it would make for the ideal low-production run Z4. Even without an M model in the range, a Z4 M40i Coupe would be so very cool. Those early Z3s and Z4s could also be had in coupe trim without M engines so the formula definitely works.

The platform-sharing Toyota Supra is already a coupe-only offering so the modifications to the Z4 should require very minimal outlay, although perhaps the need to differentiate these two models from one another is the reason why BMW is reluctant to go this route.

Rain Prisk has turned his hand to converting other BMW models into shooting brake body styles too, most notably the M2 which we think looks pretty cool with its mini wagon rear end.

The BMW i8 on the other hand, should be put into production immediately, its love-it-or-hate-it looks are just what made the original Z3 M Coupe so popular and supercar fans clearly like the idea judging by the popularity of the Ferrari FF and GTC4 Lusso. Come on BMW, make it happen.

Explosive Boom In Supercar Sales A Sign Of How Bad Wealth Inequality Has Become

“Let them eat cake” has become “Let them commute in McLarens.”

Documentary filmmakers and news reporters have tried time and time again to utilize their respective forms of storytelling to show us how income and wealth inequality has flown off the charts in recent years. GDP continues to grow but somehow the poor are still poor and getting poorer. Surprise surprise, that money is finding its way to the top as if trickle down economic theory was formulated on opposite day. A better way to convey the phenomenon to gearheads, however, comes from a Bloomberg report.

That’s because the flow of money can be seen in the way the rich spend theirs: on exotic cars. In case you haven’t been keeping up, let us remind you how automakers like Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce can’t seem to stop customers from infiltrating their dealerships. The hard hitting statistic can be found in how growth in the auto industry has been distributed. In the past five years, the global auto market has blossomed by 23 percent. Impressive, but that doesn’t come anywhere near the growth experienced by automakers selling cars costing $200,000 or more. That segment has exploded by 51 percent during the same time frame.

It’s not like we have to look hard to see how exotic automakers are celebrating. Expecting more growth to quell the demand, Ferrari, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Lamborghini are going where they’ve never gone before, debuting SUVs and expanding production caps to ride the wave of growth as best as they can. It’s arguable that the explosion in this segment has been what’s led McLaren to become the mighty supercar manufacturer it is today, having had a firm place in the ranks of the rookies just a few years back. Correlation might not mean causation, but any detective looking to find why luxury and supercar sales have surged doesn't have to search hard.

They would likely see the 21 percent growth of “ultra high net worth individuals” (those with over $30 million in assets) since 2012 as one reason for the boom. Expect that number, as well as sales of ultra-premium luxury cars and exotics, to increase before they taper off or until social revolution takes place.

The BMW M7 Needs To Become A Reality

Please make it happen, BMW.

We’re still not sure if it will ever happen, but a recent trademark filed by BMW got our hopes up that the automaker is planning to put an M7 into production. The news came as a surprise, since the automaker previously told us there was no need for an M7 when we already have the beastly M760i with 601 horsepower on tap. To whet our appetite, AscarissDesign has produced a render to show what a BMW M7 could look like. It’s based on an old render, with changes including a new M5 bumper, new side vent, and a modified roof.

It's also been given new grille inserts and a slightly modified side mirror. Whether it will ever become a reality is questionable though. The trademark file is by no means confirmation that BMW will build a full fat M version of the 7 Series. After all, an M7 might be hard to justify with the M8 Gran Coupe now confirmed. BMW also already has the M760i to fight the Audi S8 and Mercedes-AMG S63, which can accelerate to 62 mph in just 3.7 seconds before topping out at 155 mph. That top speed can also be increased to 186 mph with the limiter lifted. The M760i already offers supercar performance in a luxury sedan, but we know it isn’t reaching its potential.

In the Rolls-Royce Wraith, the same twin-turbo V12 is tuned to produce 625 horsepower, while in the Dawn it has 605 lb-ft of torque compared to the M760i’s 590 lb-ft. Time will ultimately tell if a BMW M7 gets the green light for production, but at least we can now visualize it thanks to this render. Please make it happen, BMW.

These Two USA-Made BMWs Have Just Become More Expensive In China

The additional cost of tariffs has to be made up for somehow.

It has begun. Some of the first US-made vehicles being exported to China are experiencing price increases due to the additional costs of tariffs on US car imports. Reuters reports that the Spartanburg, South Carolina-built BMW X5 and X6 crossover SUVs, both very popular in the world’s biggest auto market, have increased in price by 4 to 7 percent, effective starting today in China.

Interestingly, some industry analysts figured the expected price increases would have been more, but BMW is apparently willing to absorb most of the higher costs. How come? Because there’s fierce competition among luxury brands in China and adding too much to the price tags is not in BMW’s best interest.

The automaker has no choice but to do something in regards to a price increase ever since China began imposing new tariffs earlier this month on roughly $34 billion of US imports, which also includes soybeans and even lobsters. For US-built vehicles, China also added an extra 25 percent import levy starting July 6. This means China now has a 40 percent total import duty on all cars from the US. BMW doesn’t appear to be too pleased by this latest development, with a spokeswoman telling Reuters: “BMW stands for free (trade) but can’t stand still without taking actions to respond to the market changes.”

Spartanburg also builds the popular X4, which is also imported to China. For now, it doesn’t appear BMW has increased its price tag, but that could change in the near future. Not surprisingly, BMW isn’t alone in its dilemma of racing prices and trying to absorb most costs. Ford has already said that, for the time being, it won’t increase its prices in China and will absorb costs in an “effort to sustain its business momentum.” BMW’s arch-rival, Mercedes-Benz, slightly increased the price of the GLE midsize SUV in China, which is built in Alabama. Chances are we haven’t heard the last of US-built auto price increases in the world’s biggest auto market.

2019 BMW X4 First Drive Review: Beauty And Beast Become One

Get yourself someone who can do both.

With talks of a trade war looming, the cloudy skies paving our landing into South Carolina’s Greenville/Spartanburg airport made for a fitting welcome to the home of BMW’s largest plant. But once we deplaned and were sent to dinner with the engineers and product designers who built the new X4 we trekked here to drive, we were surprised to note that the mood of the room stunk of pride rather than doom and gloom.

But there’s a good reason for it. After losing its sales crown to Mercedes in 2016, BMW has been busy designing a plethora of new models for 2018, embarking on a product offensive so relentless it threatens to send the German auto industry into a state of civil war. The new X4, which bears a strange muscular suppleness that’s determined to make that war easy on the eyes, is critical to winning the luxury sports crossover crown. If BMW can come first in that battle, it has a solid chance at sticking it to Mercedes. In that pursuit, the 2019 X4 makes a pretty compelling chase. At first glance, updates to the sheetmetal seem to be intended as an evolutionary step.

Seen through the right lens, however, they can be interpreted as a revolutionary one—a marker that BMW’s “Sports Activity Coupe” has finally found its form. Like Porsche did with the Panamera, designers began by overhauling the rear end, moving the groove where the license plate sits down to the bumper. Larger kidney grilles and air intakes go a long way towards modernizing the front and the side profile is aided by straightened character lines and a roofline that comes to rest on the trunk lid more gradually than in the first rendition of the X4. What’s not as apparent at first glance are the dimensional changes that BMW recruited to make the X4 look “sportier.”

The wheelbase has been stretched by 2.1-inches and overall width increases by 3.2-inches, and though the roof sits only 0.1-inches lower than in the first X4, the track has been widened by 1.4-inches over the X4 xDrive 30i’s predecessor and 1.5-inches over the X4 M40i’s. Some of that extra space makes its way to the interior, with rear seat passengers gaining an extra inch of leg room, and though the driver can complain about the lack of rear visibility when the 10.25-inch touchscreen isn't displaying what the 360-degree cameras are seeing, occupants in the back can remain comfortable for a few hours—more when the panoramic glass moonroof is uncovered—before the rear’s dimensions begin to take a toll.

So the X4 has gained the prom queen looks that lend BMW confidence in waters ripe with retaliatory tariffs even if the crossover has inherited a pair of tongue-twister names, but we still wondered why every German at BMW’s Performance Center in Spartanburg wore a smug grin as technical presentations drew to a close. What they were waiting for was our shock and awe, which came in due time. After the patriotic “Ultimate Driving Machine” hoo ha, BMW distributed copies of both X4s to journalists and set us free to roam the winding green roads near North Carolina’s Cedar Mountain. Jumping between Carolina borders one apex at a time, it quickly became clear that none of the presenters' speeches were in fact hoo ha.

It doesn’t matter the engine, the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making 248 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque or the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six that spews 355 horsepower and 365 lb-ft of torque, BMW’s insistence on staying true to its roots—its emphasis on the perfect blend of luxury and dynamic driving— is what steals the show. The X4 can do comfort as well as (if not better than) any other luxury machine, cocooning passengers in an opulent leather-appointed cabin that remains silent and smooth whether coasting on paved roads or tearing through gravel driveways, but it can also excite if the driver decides to put their foot down.

Aside from steering that decapitates a driver’s hands at the wrists and hides any sense of what the front wheels are doing, a near perfect 50/50 weight distribution helps by filling in gaps where the variable steering rack falls short and recalls simpler times when a sideways BMW was an invitation to play. Relying on Cluster Architecture as its weight loss plan, the xDrive 30i sports a curb weight of 4,146 pounds while the M40i’s extra parts—the two extra cylinders and standard adaptive suspension (an option in the xDrive 30i)—bring the total up to 4,323 pounds. Still heavy, but CLAR lowers the X4’s center of gravity and allows it to carve corners in a way that belies belief, as if it were Michelangelo in a Jack-o-lantern contest.

With the M Sport exhaust (standard on the M40i and optional on the xDrive 30i) burbling and popping at each of the eight-speed Steptronic’s upshifts, we caught native Carolinians off guard by threading the X4 through hairpin turns while emitting giggles usually reserved for Miatas on knotted roads and erupting with the sort of maniacal laughs that should saved for Hellcat burnouts when we blasted down straights. We caught ourselves off guard too—the X4’s agility is surprising for a vehicle in its weight class and the edge of its limits are so progressive that we found ourselves trying to driving it like an M3.

With the xDrive AWD system’s curious computers testing grip and pushing all four corners to the max, we charged forward with confidence—a curse to our stomachs that we filled with Carolina grits at breakfast. Most drivers aren’t suicidal enough to feel the progressive slip of excessive G-force beginning to overwhelm the tires while on the road, but take the X4 to the track and you’ll have the luxury of experiencing that. Ideally you’d be in an M40i loaded with M Performance brakes and the optional M Sport differential like we were. The system alters BMW’s DSC system and can be toggled through three modes that range from “I have no idea what I’m doing” to “I’m an experienced tire murderer and need my fix.”

Your humble tester’s talents lie somewhere in between, but the X4 delivers plenty of thrills when you attempt to drift like the pros. Also adjustable are the drive modes, which include BMW’s typical Eco Pro, Comfort, and Sport modes along with Sport + and Adaptive as extras. Located next to the shifter, these buttons modify the throttle response, transmission settings, engine noise induction into the cabin, and the adaptive suspension system if it’s an X4 loaded with it. The iDrive controller works as brilliantly when it’s used to modify these settings as it does when used to access the infotainment system.

Now, South Carolina has a population of roughly 5 million and less than four cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, meaning that many residents live in small towns connected by two-lane roads. It was on these roads that we were able to relax and study the well-appointed interior or play with the tech, protected from our own divided attention by a suite of driver aids. Being the types of drivers that dispatch traffic with a single hand on the wheel and an arm slumped over the center console's butter soft leather, we found gesture control to be a useful plaything for adjusting the volume and answering calls.

Responsible two-handed drivers can enjoy just as much smartphone convenience with Apple CarPlay, which works wirelessly for the first time using the X4’s onboard WiFi. This enables the technophile fantasy of getting in and placing your phone on the wireless charger without having to connect it to use CarPlay. Technophobes, on the other hand, will be happy that the lane keeping assistant isn’t precise enough to encourage consistent use. A few miles on the highway might prove otherwise, but those two lane roads had the lane keep assistant sending the X4 swaying from one lane border to the other, staying within the lane but doing so as if it were tipsy.

Despite that, the bevy of driver aids like adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, cross traffic alert, parking sensors, and collision mitigation, work hard to keep the pretty sheetmetal from getting scratched. And that's important to your typical X4 shopper, who likes beauty and doesn't mind a little bit of pain. Make a list of traits that differentiate X3 customers from X4 buyers and you’d conclude that those behind the wheel of the X3 could feasibly be spotted wearing a pair of Crocs. X4 owners would be caught in a coffin before that. Fortunately the X4's beauty doesn’t mean grueling workouts and miserable skincare routines, just a $7,800 premium over an xDrive-equipped X3 to bring the total to $51,445.

If budget is a priority, don’t even think about test driving the M40i lest you fall in love and feel compelled to shell out $61,445 for one. That kind of money puts the X4 M40i within shouting distance of the X6, though base models of the larger Sports Activity Coupe can't imitate the X4 M40i's 4.6-second run from 0-60 MPH until the sticker approaches $80,000. That's a lot of money for a car, but between tours of the X4's factory, laps around the track at BMW's Performance Center, and fistfuls of fried okra, it's easy to see that when it comes to luxury, BMW brings its A-game. Some say luxury is a state of mind attuned to all things comfort and extravagance, but that's a very two-dimensional view of luxury, the kind you get in a Lincoln.

Life will rock your boat no matter its size, yacht or skipper, and the true luxury state of mind is one that remains cool and composed when the seas (or roads) get rocky. Like James Bond in a gunfight or George Clooney at his mistress' wedding, true luxury looks dapper while fighting crime and only curses at the right moments. True luxury looks at life with the confidence those BMW engineers had at dinner, knowing that its inherent traits are hardship and struggle along with joy and pleasure. The discerning eye of the luxury mindset favors tools that, much like itself, can deal with both and remain calm. The X4 just happens to be BMW's latest rendition of that tool.

BMW M3 Wagon Could Become A Reality For The First Time Ever

Assuming it does happen, will it come to the US?

Now that the all-new BMW 3 Series sedan has made its debut appearance, it’ll soon be time for the wagon. If reports prove accurate, the G20 generation 3 Series Wagon (codenamed G21), also called an estate or Touring, will debut next March at Geneva. That’s not a particularly big surprise, but a new report coming from Autocar is far more interesting.

BMW is reportedly considering an M3 Wagon in order to do battle with the Audi RS4 Avant and Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate. If Munich goes ahead with the plan, it would be the first-ever M3 wagon. We’re so down for that. Aside from having a powerful wagon to combat its two main German rivals, BMW supposedly sees a solid business case to green light the project.

Because a regular non-M 3 Series wagon has already been completed and the next-generation M3’s (and M4) engine and other relevant details have already been decided and sorted, the development costs for an M3 wagon would be relatively low. Another factor working in the M3 wagon’s favor is that there won’t be (thank gosh!) a new 3 Series GT. Slow sales are what killed it.

And speaking of sales, would there even be enough interest in the US for an M3 wagon? Probably not. Wagons, in general, have long fallen out of favor with the American car-buying public. They all want crossovers and, very conveniently enough, BMW has several to choose from. At the moment, you can still buy the outgoing generation 3 Series Sports Wagon in the US which comes powered by a turbocharged inline-four with 248 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.

The closest thing to an M3 wagon America will likely receive will be the X3 M. Remember, neither the Audi RS4 Avant nor the AMG C63 Wagon are sold in the US, so it would make no sense for BMW either. As of right now, BMW has not officially confirmed plans for an M3 wagon, but again, the business case does make sense this time around, at least for Europe. Another piece of forbidden fruit for Americans is sounding very likely.

These Two USA-Made BMWs Have Just Become More Expensive In China

The additional cost of tariffs has to be made up for somehow.

It has begun. Some of the first US-made vehicles being exported to China are experiencing price increases due to the additional costs of tariffs on US car imports. Reuters reports that the Spartanburg, South Carolina-built BMW X5 and X6 crossover SUVs, both very popular in the world’s biggest auto market, have increased in price by 4 to 7 percent, effective starting today in China.

Interestingly, some industry analysts figured the expected price increases would have been more, but BMW is apparently willing to absorb most of the higher costs. How come? Because there’s fierce competition among luxury brands in China and adding too much to the price tags is not in BMW’s best interest.

The automaker has no choice but to do something in regards to a price increase ever since China began imposing new tariffs earlier this month on roughly $34 billion of US imports, which also includes soybeans and even lobsters. For US-built vehicles, China also added an extra 25 percent import levy starting July 6. This means China now has a 40 percent total import duty on all cars from the US. BMW doesn’t appear to be too pleased by this latest development, with a spokeswoman telling Reuters: “BMW stands for free (trade) but can’t stand still without taking actions to respond to the market changes.”

Spartanburg also builds the popular X4, which is also imported to China. For now, it doesn’t appear BMW has increased its price tag, but that could change in the near future. Not surprisingly, BMW isn’t alone in its dilemma of racing prices and trying to absorb most costs. Ford has already said that, for the time being, it won’t increase its prices in China and will absorb costs in an “effort to sustain its business momentum.” BMW’s arch-rival, Mercedes-Benz, slightly increased the price of the GLE midsize SUV in China, which is built in Alabama. Chances are we haven’t heard the last of US-built auto price increases in the world’s biggest auto market.