BMW to Launch New Genre-Defying Model Called the X6

BMW AG will build an all-new model to be called the X6, probably in 2008, the company confirmed today at the New York Auto Show.

The X6 will be based on the redesigned 5 Series platform, which is also shared with the X5 SUV. It will be built at BMW's U.S. plant in Spartanburg, S.C., said Tom Purves, chairman and CEO of BMW Holding Corp.

BMW calls the X6 a "Sport Activity Coupe." Reading between the lines — BMW was careful to say the X6 will have a "coupe-like" design — it could be a "four-door coupe" like the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class. Mercedes-Benz insists on calling the E-Class-based CLS-Class a "coupe," which it resembles, even though it has four doors.

The X6 crossover vehicle could have a more truck-like appearance, combined with a sporty BMW character. But the X6 will not be a bigger version of the newly redesigned X5 SUV, which could ostensibly be called an "X7." The new X5 is 7.4 inches longer and 2.4 inches wider than the version it replaces. That is about as big as BMW feels it can get and still preserve its high-performance character.