Someone call Weight Watchers: BMW is doubling down on lardy SUVs

BMW has released its very long and generally quite dry Quarterly Statement to review the first part of 2025. If we’re honest, we were distracted by an E36 M3 video on YouTube before we’d even got halfway through the report, but we did manage to spot that BMW has committed to building new generations of the X5 and X7 SUVs.

“Despite the ongoing product offensive and intensive preparations for the launch of the first Neue Klasse models, research and development expenditure remained in line with last year’s level and was primarily related to the cross-series digitalisation and electrification of the vehicle fleet,” reads the statement. Told you it was dry.

“It also includes expenditure related to the development of Neue Klasse models such as the BMW iX3 and the successors to the BMW X5 and X7.”

Yep, the giant X7 will be granted a second generation. You’ll remember it was first unveiled back in 2018, with a facelift in 2022 removing buttons from the interior and giving it a more, erm… 'distinctive' face. The current fourth-gen X5 was also launched in 2018, with a facelift to keep things fresh in early 2023. No word on whether the related, coupe-ified X6 will also be overhauled for a new generation.

Still, this is confirmation that BMW is sticking with large lardy SUVs for the immediate future while also ploughing cash into the development of the Neue Klasse cars. Bets on how much the next X7 will weigh?