- BMW’s dealer chief wants a full-size SUV to slot above the X7.
- The so-called X9 would battle the Escalade and Navigator.
- BMW USA sold 31,575 X7s last year, far less than the Escalade.
Full-size SUVs are as American as apple pie and automakers love them as they generate huge profits. That’s especially true for luxury models such as the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. Now, BMW’s US dealers are looking to claim a piece of that pie themselves, and it’s not hard to see why.
Cadillac moved 49,366 ICE-powered Escalades last year and an additional 8,115 EVs. Those are fantastic numbers, especially when the model starts at $91,100 before a $2,895 destination fee.
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Things weren’t quite as bright at Lincoln, but Navigator sales soared 42.8 percent to 22,185 units. This was driven by a recent redesign, which has clearly been embraced by buyers.
Even Infiniti is riding the full-size SUV wave as the QX80 posted its best ever sales. Americans snapped up 13,590 units last year for a 31.4 percent increase.
Sizing Up the Numbers
BMW dealers haven’t been blind to this and now they’re pushing the company to offer something above the X7. Technically, the X7 qualifies as a full-size SUV, but at 204 inches (5,181 mm) long and 78.7 inches (2,000 mm) wide, with a wheelbase of 122.2 inches (3,105 mm), it still comes up short, both literally and figuratively, next to GM’s double extra-large offerings.
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The standard Escalade measures 211.9 inches (5,382 mm) long and 81 inches (2,057 mm) wide, with a 120.9-inch (3,071 mm) wheelbase. Stretch that to the ESV long-wheelbase version, and it balloons to 227 inches (5,766 mm) in length, 81.1 inches (2,060 mm) wide, and rides on a 134.1-inch (3,406 mm) wheelbase.
Speaking to Auto News, the chairman of the BMW National Dealer Forum said “I think we’d do really well” with a big, three-row SUV that challenges the Escalade and Navigator.
Kirk Cordill went on to say the brand would likely due “extremely well” with a range-topping X9. He even suggested an Alpina variant to battle the Navigator Black Label.
Is There Room at the Top?
While it remains to be seen if BMW will ever offer an X9, there could be room above the X7. The three-row crossover starts at $87,500 and climbs to $115,000 for the X7 M60i. The company also offers an Alpina XB7 for $156,000, which is significantly less than the Escalade-V that begins at $168,000.
Of course, the Escalade, Navigator, and QX80 are all luxury versions of more mainstream SUVs. Ford and GM also have the benefit of selling hundreds of thousands of full-size pickups that have a lot in common with the Escalade and Navigator. BMW has none of this, which could make an X9 a tough sell at the corporate level – especially after the XM failed to live up to expectations.
