So I have been giving this some thought lately and wanted to share with the board.

BMW was responsible for the redesign of the Range Rover. They did a great job and brought the monster SUV into the new millenium.

Now BMW has rolled out the new X5 which is more of a soccer mom car and is also releasing the X6 which is more of a sport SUV.

I don't know how the 7 series is doing but I don't see too many of them.

So, why didn't BMW, instead of making the X5 more of a soccer mom mobile and the X6 more of a sporty SUV, why didn't they do this:

X7 - Ultra high end, SUV/LUXURY SEDAN hybrid - to compete with Range Rover's and even be used as high end limo's, etc. And fill the void for the soccer mom's with 2-3 different choices of engines and trim. Can even have third row seating. -- (How many wealthy businessmen, etc. who might have bought a 7 series BMW 10 years ago, are now driving Range Rover's??) Why not change the entire 7 series line into a SUV?
Where I live, I see Range Rover's at every stop light.. I can't remember the last 7 series I saw.

X5 - Could Continue to be the 5 series on Steroids, which can double as a baby hauler but also has enough engine choices to keep the sports guys happy and the moms happy..(BMW has said to have made the X6 for the guys who want a faster, better handling X... Why then why don't they just ask us what we want and we will tell them, we want the X5 in a "M" version.. No new X6 version is needed...) Just give us faster, better handling X5's..
-- But also delete that 3rd row seat which is horrible, uncomfortable, bad to get in and out of and force anyone who is thinking about a 3rd row to go for the X7 instead. (I don't really see the mom with 5 kids or the carpool mom, using those X5 rear seats for practical reasons anyway.

And keep the X3 as is. A lower cost, SUV that can double as a grocery getter and pleasant Daily Driver.

It would seem to my uneducated understanding of the car industry that this is the simple solution.. But again, what do I know??

B

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"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss