据外媒报道，宝马考虑开发新的X8旗舰级SUV。目前席卷全球的SUV热潮并没有衰退之势，宝马也计划进一步深耕这一不断增长的市场。车厂将很快发布新款三排座SUVX7，但宝马的SUV扩张热潮并不会止步于此。宝马开发部门主管KlausFrohlich近日正式，公司正考虑开发X8，该车在宝马SUV家族中的定位是顶级车型，竞争车型包括路虎揽胜，奥迪Q8甚至宾利添越。与宝马其他偶数位车型X4、X6一样，X8也将采用车顶向后倾斜的轿跑车风格，但作为一款有专职司机驾驶的车型，采用X7平台，但设计为溜背式车顶会造成后排头部空间狭小。因此宝马考虑将CLAR模块化结构与劳斯莱斯库里南的铝制平台相结合，这一混合平台将使车辆轴距进一步增加，从而使车辆后部的空间更宽敞，同时可保持溜背式车顶。由于X8并未将功能性作为主要考量，因此将提供四座或五座布局。而X7则提供三排座布局。至于动力系统，X8将搭载V8和V12汽油引擎，未来还可能增加插电混动版本。虽然目标不清楚该车价格，但X8铁定将成为宝马车系中价格最高的车型。如果X8获批，预计最早将于2020年发布。
BMW sets sights on new X8 flagship SUV
BMW is considering a new X8 SUV model that would be positioned as the brand's flagship vehicle, a new report finds.
With the SUV craze showing no signs of slowing, BMW is exploring new ways to tap the ever-growing utility vehicle market. The company will soon launch a new three-row SUV known as the X7 , but BMW's SUV expansion might not end there.
Klaus Frohlich, head of BMW development, has confirmed that a new X8 model is under consideration. The X8 would sit atop BMW's SUV lineup and target vehicles like the Land Rover Range Rover, Audi Q8 and potentially even more up-scale vehicles like the Bentley Bentayga.
Like BMW's other evenly-numbered models, the X8 is being conceived as a coupe-like model. However, that's proving troublesome for the car's intended positioning as a chauffeur-driven model; a sloping roof on the X7's platform could severely impact rear-seat headroom. Because of that, BMW is considering building the X8 on a mix of its CLAR modular architecture and the aluminum platform that will underpin the upcoming Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV. That hybrid platform would allow for a longer wheelbase that could accommodate a fastback roof without sacrificing rear-seat headroom. With utility not a major concern, the X8 will be available exclusively in four- or five-seat configurations. The X7, meanwhile, will offer three-rows of seating.
Power for the X8 would likely come from V8 and V12 gas engines. A plug-in hybrid drivetrain is also a distinct possibility.
Pricing is still a mystery, but the X8 could end up being the most expensive vehicle in BMW's lineup. If given the green light, the X8 won't appear in dealer showrooms until 2020 at the earliest.