Had my BMW dealer friend call me today trying to get me to go and look at a higher spec E70 but I told him he's too late and I've gone for a high spec new model Cayenne V8. He did tell me that interest in the E70 has picked up now that physical cars are on site and that orders are now looking healthier. It seems that discounts offered to buyers pre-launch are now being rethought in light of this and post launch buyers will find it harder to get a deal. I agree with cpd1 on the residual front though. All SUV's are taking a hit and the new X5 won't be as strong as the old model was in it's early years as the used market is now awash with X5's, Touaregs, Cayennes, RR Sports etc. Too many cars chasing too few buyers and the revised road fund licence rates effect has yet to kick in on the used market.

With the current trend of 4x4s becoming increasingly socially unacceptable in the UK and other "environmentally conscious" markets it also strikes me that the new X6 may just prove to be a niche too far for BMW and risks becoming infamous for being a prime case of a car being launched onto the market at exactly the wrong moment (unless of course it has hybrid power only).