Just keep those opinions to yourselves. Please?
Back in the late nineties when BMW brought the X5 into existence, it was quite a moment. Not only was it the brands’ first SUV, but it was also the first SUV at the time to offer properly-good on-road manners. This was a time before the Porsche Cayenne mind, and when it came to big, soft-roading family cars, the X5 was unbeatable.
Realising their capabilities in making high-riding wagons, the company never looked back. Today, BMW’s SUV lineup is six-strong, with the X1, X3, and X6 interspersed with coupe-SUVs in the form of the X2, X4, and X6. And in the coming months, the X7 will arrive, pushing BMW into a new territory of ultra-luxury high-riding limousines (which is what it is, essentially). You’d think they’ve got it all covered.
Evidently not. Product planning boss Ralph Mahler made several remarks during an interview with publication DigitalTrends saying that the company has not quite yet dismissed the idea of a convertible SUV. The only contender in this ultra-niche segment is the Range Rover Evoque Convertible which, unbelievably, is still on sale in some markets. BMW knows it won’t be a volume model, but it’s a brand-builder, which means they don’t want to shut the door on it altogether (even though we wish they would).
“It’s a really interesting topic [convertible SUVs]. All these kinds of questions, we have asked ourselves in the past. Whether or not there is a possibility, whether or not there is a market. You see the lineup at the moment. We don’t have one [SUV convertible] but nevertheless, I think it’s still an interesting question.” — Ralph Mahler, Director (Product Planning & Strategy), BMW AG
We’re presently unsure why there’s such an obsession with convertibles in general. There’s the Nissan Leaf Open Air that was launched yesterday, as well as news from Volkswagen that a T-Roc Convertible is on the way.. But while SUV coupes are evidently here to stay, we can only hope that SUV convertibles don’t become enough of a thing to command their own space in the market.
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