Autoblog

BMW has been aggressively expanding its vehicle offerings, and like most other automakers, crossovers make up the majority of additions. Earlier this year, team Bimmer added the X6, and with the X1 concept unveiled in Paris, mild-to-wild CUVs seem to be the focus for the boys in Bavaria. Automotive News is reporting that the SAV love will continue next year when BMW unleashes the X4. Design elements are said to come from the larger X6, which is to say that it'll probably look like a really tall hatchback. The X1 concept and the production X3 are based off of the excellent 3-Series platform, and we're guessing the X4 will also don the sharp-handling underpinnings.

If this is what BMW needs to do in order to remain the world's top-selling luxury automaker, we're not so sure it's worth the trouble. The X1 will probably sell relatively well, but it will do so with underwhelming sheet metal. An X4 based off the X6 sounds like an even worse proposition, but then again, we didn't think the X6 was a bright idea either.

UPDATE: A BMW spokesperson told 4Car that the automaker has no plans to produce an X4.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

After nearly three years of rumors and speculation, the new jacked-up MINI SAV will finally make its debut, according to Autocar. The Brit pub is reporting that the MINI 'ute is bound for Paris, with an on-sale date sometime in 2010 and sporting a five-door design.

Questions still remain about what platform the new all-wheel-drive model will be based on, with sources suggesting it will either be based around the Clubman's architecture, making use of a new upper-body structure, or the current Cooper's chassis, using the front end and employing a new floorpan to accommodate the AWD system and new seating positions. Regardless of what's underpinning the SAV, MINI has to justify the R&D, so if the biggie-sized MINI proves successful, there's a possibility that a front-wheel-drive variant will be offered on the same chassis, oxymoronically dubbed the MINI "Maxi."

Production is expected to begin late next year at Magna's factory in Graz, which currently produces the X3. And with BMW shifting production of its entry-level SUV to the U.S. sometime next year, MINI will have the manufacturing capacity to bring its sales over the 340,000 mark.

[Source: Autocar]

Putting one of BMW's newest X6 "Sport Activity Vehicles" (aka "SAV") in your driveway will cost you at least $53,275. That's the announced base price for the 300-hp X6 xDrive35i with its twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder (yep, that's the same powerplant shared with the 535i, 335i, and the 135i). If you want to pony-up to the 400-hp xDrive50i, powered by a new twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8, that will set you back another ten large as its base price is $63,775. All the details are available in the press release after the jump.

[Source: BMW]

The MINI has been on a growth spurt since the introduction of the second-generation model. With the 3½-door Clubman wagon on its way to dealerships, the new convertible set to follow, and even a sports-coupe derivative rumored to be in the works, the BMW division is focusing on the development of a crossover based on the MINI.

No big news there, we've been watching the spy shots roll in for months now. The surprise, however, is that it won't be called the Colorado as previously thought. No, that was just a working title, an internal codename. It won't be called the Monte, either, as previous reports suggested. According to a recent interview in German publication Auto Motor und Sport, MINI's CEO Kay Segler said the retro soft-roader will likely be called "Crossman".

Magna-Steyr is expected to build 80,000 Crossmans (Crossmen?) at its factory in Austria each year, starting in 2010. The name, of course, combines Crossover with Clubman, the wagon variant on which it's based. Think it'll entice more buyers than "Colorado" or "Monte"? Leave your opinion in the comments section below.

[Sources: Auto Motor und Sport via Autoblog.nl and eGMCarTech]

When the X3 dries up, there'll still be a BMW trucklet for the Austrian assembly and engineering firm to bolt together. BMW's MINI brand has been reportedly getting an SAV (BMW parlance for CUV) for a while now, and that prospect looks like it's inching toward reality. Affixing the MINI badge to the pumped-up Clubman (see gallery below) might create a rolling misnomer, but that's supposedly the plan. Code named "Colorado", the ruggedized and raised MINI will be equipped with AWD calibrated for traction rather than performance. We'll wait to pass judgement on the styling while hoping that it doesn't look like the fanciful rendering at right (click here to see full view). Ugly or cute, if Magna Steyr hits its target, it'll be pumping out a targeted 80,000 of these things per year, starting in 2010.

[Source: Motoring File]

We've already provided you with every diminutive detail about BMW's new full-sized SUV, except one, price.

Well, today BMW released the final piece of the X5's puzzle. Pricing for the 3-liter, inline-six model will start at $45,595, an increase of $2,400 over the current model, with the 4.8-liter V8 setting you back $55,195, or about a $2,000 bump over the current 4.4-liter model. Both prices include the prerequisite shipping, handling and various markups.

Sales are slated to begin this November for what BMW has trademarked as the Ultimate Sports Activity Vehicle.

[Source: The Auto Channel]