BMW’s latest stunt at Villa d’Este, unveiling a shooting brake concept, is a baffling misstep from a brand that’s imagined to know cars. Really, BMW? A distinct segment, retro-chic wagon for the three individuals who’ll swoon over it at a concours? This isn’t the time for self-indulgent design exercises. The market’s screaming for something else—something daring, rugged, and unapologetically badass. As an alternative of chasing Instagram likes with an idea no person asked for, BMW ought to be pouring every resource into constructing a high-volume, G-Class and Defender-style SUV that’ll dominate the streets and the sales charts.
Let’s face it: the posh SUV market is a goldmine. Mercedes’ G-Class is a cultural icon, raking in profits from rappers to royalty. Land Rover’s Defender has reinvented itself as a rugged-chic beast, selling faster than hotcakes at a hipster brunch. These aren’t just vehicles; they’re statements—boxy, brutal, and dripping with attitude. Meanwhile, BMW’s X lineup, while solid, looks like a set of protected bets. The X5 and X7 are high-quality for soccer mothers and company execs, but where’s the raw, in-your-face SUV that screams adventure and turns heads? The XM? A hybrid oddity that appears prefer it was designed by committee and priced for oligarchs. It’s not cutting it.
BMW’s wasting time on a shooting brake when the world’s begging for a Teutonic rival to the G-Class—a square-jawed, high-riding monster with off-road cred and concrete swagger. Picture it: a BMW SUV with aggressive angles, knobby tires, and a grille that doesn’t appear to be it’s compensating for something. It’d sell in droves to everyone from overlanders to influencers. Volume matters, and that is where the cash is. As an alternative, BMW’s playing dress-up with an idea that’ll never see a showroom, leaving competitors to eat their lunch within the SUV game.
The Villa d’Este reveal shows BMW’s priorities are skewed. They’re chasing prestige over profit, art over appetite. A shooting brake won’t move the needle; a badass SUV would. They’ve got the engineering chops—use them. Stop pandering to elitists and construct something the masses will fight to own. Readers, are we improper? Do you’re thinking that BMW’s shooting brake is genius, or should they drop the sketches and construct a G-Class killer yesterday?
Tell us.
This Article First Appeared At www.autospies.com