BMW reveals one-off X7 Pick-up

Trainees at BMW’s Munich plant have built a one-off pick-up truck version of the firm’s X7 SUV to support a motorcycle event.

The students were tasked with designing and creating a vehicle that could carry a motorcycle for this month’s BMW Motorrad Days event. It took 10 months from conception to the final road-legal construction being signed off.

The X7 Pick-up is 10cm longer than the SUV, but thanks to the use of light-weight carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic on the roof, rear doors and rear lid, it’s actually 200kg lighter. While the rear load bay intrudes into the space where the sixth and seventh seats would be, BMW says the cabin can still comfortably hold five passengers.

Rear load length is measured at 140cm with the rear lid up and 200cm with it open and can hold a BMW F 850GS adventure bike. The load bay itself gets handcrafted teakwood cladding and handgrips. BMW says this, plus the deep metallic blue paintjob, were inspired by yachting sports.

The X7 Pick-up used a testing model that was destined for the scrap heap as its base. It features the six-cylinder petrol engine from the xDrive40i model, which makes 335bhp and 450Nm of torque.

Milagros Caiña-Andree, member of the board for human resources at BMW, said: “I am pleased about the synergies between BMW Group Vocational Training, Concept Vehicle Construction and Model Technology, allowing these young talents to prove their abilities with such an extraordinary project.”

BMW says series production for the X7 Pick-up is not planned. It says projects such as this are designed to show students what is required to build a new vehicle and allow them to demonstrate that they are capable of doing so.