BMW Made a Pickup Truck

Published: July 10, 2019, 5 p.m.

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If you\\u2019re BMW and you\\u2019re going to make a pickup truck concept, let\\u2019s face it \\u2013 it\\u2019s going to be super fancy. And you\\u2019re going to insist that it\\u2019s just this little old thing you let some trainees tinker with, and you\\u2019re never actually going to make it in real life. But if you did\\u2026

It would be kind of boss. BMW\\u2019s X7 truck has a 3.0-liter turbo inline-six, offering 335 horsepower \\u2013 plus a longer body and lighter weight than BMW\\u2019s upcoming three-row X7 SUV, partly due to the carbon-fiber reinforced plastic that\\u2019s being used for the truck\\u2019s roof and rear lid and doors.

A dozen or so vocational trainees at BMW Group have reportedly joined forces to produce the road-legal show car, which features a fairly small bed, but one that\\u2019s lined with strips of teak wood. BMW says finishes like the honey colored wood and metallic blue paint were inspired by \\u201csporting yachts.\\u201d

And while some auto writers are speculating \\u2013 even recommending \\u2013 that BMW try to take a grab at the massive cash pile supporting the high-end pickup truck market, the German automaker insists that this is a one-off and they have no serious ambitions to produce it.

But who knows\\u2026 if you\\u2019re in BMW product development, this might actually be the exact right moment to sneak it in. That\\u2019s because BMW\\u2019s CEO Harald Krueger just announced he would be stepping down from the helm of the automaker, and the decision is being blamed on Krueger\\u2019s strategy being \\u201ctoo cautious\\u201d in its approach to development of electric cars. So, let\\u2019s throw caution into the wind, shall we! Time to make a pickup.

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