BMW Prepares Luxury And Tough SUVs For G-Class And Defender Challengers

BMW Vision Neue Classe. (Photo: BMW Group)

JAKARTA - German auto giant BMW is reportedly ambitious to seize a very profitable off-road luxury vehicle market share. This news emerged after BMW prepared a new tough offroad SUV designed to rival Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Land Rover Defender.

Referring to Autocar's report, Wednesday, August 13, this car, codenamed G74, will be BMW's first fully designed model for a tough offroad since 1937.

According to a report from a senior BMW manager, the project has been planning for a long time and will enter production in 2029 at theitionburg plant, United States, along with models X5, X6, and X7.

Tough Design With Super Luxury Cabin

Although the design details are still kept secret, the G74 is expected to combine BMW's latest Neue Classe design language with stronger elements. The car will be designed as a seven-passenger SUV with three rows of seats, offering the luxury and material quality levels that surpass other BMW SUVs today.

To support serious off-road capabilities, the G74 will have a higher ground clearance, longer-distance suspensions, as well as a much better approach angle, departure and breakover than any BMW model. This car is likely to bear the name X9 which was previously widely reported.

From a technical point of view, the G74 will be built on a massively modified BMW CLAR platform. The chassis will borrow elements from X5 and X7, equipped with air suspensions, up to three differential lockings, advanced four-wheel drive systems, and four-wheel steering to increase agility in narrow terrain and stability at high speed.

BMW has planned to drive this off-roader with an internal combustion engine (ICE). However, the electric variant is also not ruled out to compete with tough EVs from China such as BYD Yangwang U8 and Rivian R1S from the US.