BMW Concept X1 unveiled with video!
BMW has pulled the wraps off the new BMW Concept X1 and has even released an interview video with BMW chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk explaining the car’s target market and its design cues.
The front end of the car immediately reminds you of the F01 BMW 7-Series recently revealed, thanks to its 7-Series-like headlamps and kidney grilles. The side profile has hints of the current facelifted BMW X3 while the engine hood is inspired by the design on the facelifted 3-Series.
Despite the X1 name which indicates a crossover version of the X1, the vehicle is actually built on the platform of the E90 3-Series. Its actually quite large - larger than most people expected it to be. At 4456mm long with a 2760mm wheelbase, these figures are close to the current X3 facelift’s statistics with a 4565mm length and a 2795mm wheelbase. This means the next generation X3 will grow larger (as expected) and will probably have a mid-2800mm-ish wheelbase, as the 2nd gen X5 has a wheelbase of 2933mm.
Since it shares the same platform as the E90, you can expect a similiar engine range with a twin turbo 3.0 liter petrol X1 xDrive35i and a twin turbo 3.0 liter turbodiesel X1 xDrive35d as the top of the range models.
Look after the jump to view more hi-res images and watch a video.
PHOTO GALLERY: BMW Concept X1
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo
Video: BMW Concept X1 (Watch on BMW Web TV on Youtube)
October 1, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
looks like mix and match between its breeds. so the purpose of this car is….?
October 1, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
what is the estimated pricing in Malaysia ?
should be more affordable than X3 ?
October 1, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
but this car looks pretty big
October 1, 2008 @ 6:37 pm
the bonnet line is way too long for this formula. looks odd and the length makes the centrepart (the space between end of front wheel arch to beginning of windscreen) makes the side profile look weak with a strange front 3qtr look.
they have also got the x3 wrong. the only 2 which are proportionate are the x5 and x6.
October 1, 2008 @ 7:24 pm
thats why i was wondering, they have x3 a smaller suv, x5 a bigger suv, x6 a stylish suv and a hybrids too. so the purpose of concept x1 is…
October 1, 2008 @ 7:25 pm
creating biggest suv of the family.
October 1, 2008 @ 8:10 pm
it looks wrong, but cannot describe it…..
October 1, 2008 @ 8:29 pm
it should hav twin tail exhaust…
October 1, 2008 @ 9:55 pm
i know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but….. i just cannot believe some people ARE PAID to come up with something as ugly as this….
in isolation the details are not bad design per se… but as a whole it just doesn’t gel, there are no integration whatsoever… the worst angle is the front three-quarter view… but anyhow, with a BMW badge on the nose, there will be buyers queueing for it… had it been a Ssangyong, its probably dead before it even goes into production…
October 1, 2008 @ 10:31 pm
Can I say it looks a bit ugly…
October 1, 2008 @ 11:31 pm
hate those new bmw front end…jus like the latest 7 series…really bad…like a pig with big nose…those kidney grils should be wider NOT bigger…looks clumsy
October 1, 2008 @ 11:40 pm
the rear lights are nice, but the hood’s a bit too long i say.
same goes with the grille. too big, like someone digging nose. hahaha.
current size is nice.
October 1, 2008 @ 11:57 pm
hell no! this is just wrong! even i could design a better bmw than this. seriously. why should they position the x1 to close to the x3? i dont see any purpose for this.
October 2, 2008 @ 1:47 am
Upon hindsight, maybe the Bangle design isn’t so bad afterall. And like some of you commented earlier, it seriously look pig faced. Some people commented that the facelift Myvi has a pig nose but this one takes the cake. I think I’ll be back to liking Mercedes design again.
October 2, 2008 @ 3:57 am
Designing in BMW is quite easy life isn’t it… almost everything is typical. Oh well it’s pretty.. in a BMW typical way…
Actually they should’ve a 2 door short wheel base.. that’ll be what the X1 really is.. for the 1 series. Now they’re just filling the gaps between 1 to 9… and go off till the next summer.
October 2, 2008 @ 10:39 am
Man the front is really ugly… the rear is aggressive, nice… but man, i agree with claxxion… BMW designs have become quite sad of late, Merc is getting better and better, and btw, this is way too close to the X3, which itself was redundant due to being too near the X5… they might actually need to axe the X3 if they want sales of these 2 other models to be real good.
But you know what, people will still buy it cos of the badge ;p
October 2, 2008 @ 11:20 am
they dono what to design already since bangle had left, so adrian rojak it up and spoiled the beauty looks of BMW. and the silly convenient concept for this x1 is ‘can go anywhere lifestyle’, lol with big car like this in the packed urban euro countries? its a joke.
October 2, 2008 @ 7:18 pm
its…ugly. i rather take the ford kuga although they are not in the same segment…there are lots of nicer cars than this in its segment i think…
October 2, 2008 @ 9:37 pm
yuckkssss!!!
October 3, 2008 @ 7:25 am
…there is just so many things wrong with how it looks that I have no idea where to start…..
October 3, 2008 @ 9:39 am
well i think this X1 looks quite sleek and nice ….very much better than X6
anyway it will cost a bomb in Mal thanks to the tax on cars ….. one of the benefit from our beloved govt
October 3, 2008 @ 9:17 pm
YUCK!
October 6, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
Super ugly…
It looks like the american crysler cross-fire…”a dog with its tail tucked in-between its hinds…”
The flaired kidney grills looks like a dragon’s nostrils…superduper ugly..
well done to the bangle team for telling other marques owner to stay away from their design..
its hideous…
October 9, 2008 @ 6:44 pm
look at how much smaller the car is compared to mr. van hooydonk? i think that is a clay model of the concept… so expect a lot of change in design cues based on wind tunnel testing…
October 15, 2008 @ 8:09 pm
wow fot it…..
extraordinary trial….
but i hate the “big” BMW nostril….
November 30, 2008 @ 2:48 pm
The shrinking arctic, world energy crises, global economic problems etc, etc.
I guess the general condition we’re in leads to all these cars being created. From gas guzzling 4WDs to SUVs to smaller SUVs and now they call it Cross segment and the what not. I’m sure it’s a matter of time before the rest follow suit to remain competitive. Perhaps the Germans are preparing us to accept vehicles that runs on gas, electric or biodiesel which generally are smaller and more compact.