BMW Concept X7 iPerformance
THE BMW Concept X7 iPerformance made its South East Asian debut at the BMW X Range Roadshow held in the Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur last month. The concept which exemplifies BMW’s new definition of visionary mobility and progressive luxury, is also a case study in modernity, luxury and presence that aims to set a new benchmark in the luxury segment.
The ‘iPerformance’ badge denotes a plug-in hybrid powertrain, and the concept has a generously-sized, six-person interior with highclass materials and a state-of-the-art infotainment system, with a large panoramic glass roof, housed in a luxury-class BMW Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) body.
The six amply proportioned seats are arranged in three rows, and four of them have an exclusive individual design.
On the exterior, it has a prominent vertical kidney grille and slim, elongated twin headlights with BMW laser light, as well as slim rear lights with a sharp three-dimensional L shape.
The circular wheel arches – a first in the BMW X series – bring out the sophisticated aesthetics of the flanks.
Interior features include a 12.3-inch instrument cluster screen and central touchscreen information display, and second-row passengers also get rear-seat touch screens.
Content can be shared with others on board. For instance, passengers can send a track to the car’s music system by touch gesture, forward an interesting article to the nextdoor display for the person sitting beside them to read, or transfer an address from their email directly to the car’s navigation system.
The forthcoming BMW X7 production car forms part of the largest model offensive in BMW’s history and is slated for launch in 2019, and it will rival the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, Range Rover and Infiniti QX80.
BMW Group Malaysia managing director and CEO Harald Hoelzl said the progressive take on luxury is closely linked to the number 7 in the BMW model scheme.
“The BMW 7 Series luxury saloon has served as a paragon of exclusive driving pleasure for over 40 years now. Taking it a level higher is the BMW Concept X7 iPerformance.”
Meanwhile, in the first half of 2018, BMW Group Malaysia recorded deliveries of over 6,400 vehicles to new BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad owners, and an impressive 11% of growth compared to the same period last year. BMW charted an 11% increase having delivered over 5,300 cars while MINI grew significantly by 18% with a delivery of over 550 units. BMW Motorrad also enjoyed a rise of 8% with over 540 new owners.
BMW Group Malaysia’s plug-in hybrid cars in Malaysia accounted for more than half of the total vehicle deliveries at 56% with over 3,200 new owners.