The SUV-fication of BMW continues as the German automaker pulls the wraps off the Concept X7 iPerformance. The closest indication of BMW’s upcoming production flagship SUV that slots above the X5, the BMW calls it “a whole new take on luxury.” You can also call it fugly.

Despite BMW giving adjectives such as “ultra-modern aesthetic” and “innate dynamism”, it’s all very subjective. The Concept X7 iPerformance is the new face of the BMW X Family and for that, everyone should be worried. Though it’s very imposing in terms of its proportions, it also doesn’t look right. The upright, fused double-kidney grille and slim headlights just don’t work on a gigantic SUV. The same goes for the slab sides. The rear though seems to work better.


While the exterior needs to be worked on (seriously), at least BMW’s heading in the right direction with its interior. Strip off the concept car cues such as the crystal lighting and abundance of chrome, and you’ll see that it’s all done tastefully. The minimalist take brings all sorts of high-tech stuff like BMW’s Connected Drive as well as a full-on digital display.

BMW hasn’t announced any power figures for its Concept X7 iPerformance (ditto the production version), but for this showpiece, it’s coming with a TwinPower Turbo gasoline engine mated to an e-Drive electric motor. This gives the Concept X7 iPerformance plug-in capabilities which should boost both performance and efficiency.

The company has yet to release photos on how the production X7 looks like, but for now, stare and hope it won’t look anything like this horrid concept car.