BMW X7 design leaked by Brazilian patent office
The renderings are a close match for the look of camouflaged X7 prototypes.
Motor1-Brazil found this and other renderings of the upcoming X7.
While the real thing won't debut for another few months, we now have another look at the forthcoming BMW X7 thanks to some patent-office photos. The images were sourced by Motor1-Brazil, which discovered them in Brazil's INPI, or National Institute of Industrial Property.
The images show that the BMW X7 will, as expected, look quite similar to both last year's Concept X7 and the pre-production prototypes we were able to sample earlier this year. Its face is straightforward BMW, with twin kidney grilles, squinty headlights and air-vent cutouts on the lower fascia. A clue that it offers three rows of seats, note the third window behind the SUV's C pillar, while the D pillar has BMW's familiar kinked shape. The liftgate, too, recalls other BMW SUVs with its full-width accent trim connecting the taillights, as well as polygonal exhaust finishers and a mock skid plate.
As a quick refresher, the X7 is set to sit at the top of the BMW SUV range as a true flagship model. It will compete with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class and Audi Q7 . It has three rows of seating, and our time in a pre-production model revealed there is genuinely enough third-row space for adults to sit comfortably. All-wheel drive will be standard, with US-market X7s set to offer either a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine or a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8. Tech highlights include BMW's newest full-digital instrument cluster and lots of USB Type C charging ports.
A pre-production BMW X7.
As to the chassis, the X7 will come standard with four-corner air suspension, while options will include Integral Active Steering, which combines active anti-roll bars with rear-wheel steering for more nimble handling.
As with most other BMW SUVs, the X7 will be built at Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina. The facility began assembling pre-production units of the X7 last December. We'll have more on the BMW X7 when it makes its official debut in the coming months, but until then you can see more patent images at Motor1-Brazil. You can also see more photos of camouflaged pre-production X7s in our full gallery below.
