Months after downplaying the possibility of a ute, a senior BMW designer has revealed the company is keeping a close eye on the pick-up segment.
Despite the public failure of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class pick-up, a top executive has refused to rule out the possibility of BMW creating its own ute.
Speaking to a roundtable of media at the Villa D’Este car show in Italy, the head of design for the BMW brand, Domagoj Dukec, suggested a ute from the German luxury brand could be possible in a global market.
“We always calculated [that a luxury pick-up] would just be for the US. Maybe things are changing,” Mr Dukec said, according to CarBuzz.
“The [sports activity vehicle] segment is anyway growing [and as a car-maker], you’re looking at this, definitely.”
The comments come just months after Mr Dukec’s boss, BMW Group Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk, downplayed the idea of a BMW ute, dismissing the segment as a “trend”.
“It’s not an obvious fit for the BMW brand. We don’t have to go after every trend that is happening,” Mr van Hooydonk said at the time.
“If we go into a segment then we want to go in there for the long haul. Also, we don’t have to go after every trend that is happening,” he said, before leaving some comments open to interpretation.
“What I do see and find interesting is that during COVID, we saw a trend for people who want to spend time outdoors,” he added.
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While the Toyota HiLux has been Australia’s top-selling vehicle for seven years, utes and four-wheel-drives have received increased focus from international markets as Chinese car-makers enter the segments.
“What’s interesting is that the pick-up truck is becoming more sophisticated. The electric drivetrains are coming in. Of course, the prices are going way up. They have also become more refined,” Mr van Hooydonk said in February.
“So those are all interesting developments. But [it is] not necessary for us to go and jump in that thing right away. Because of course it has to also be somewhat believable, authentic also to the BMW brand.”
Even if there is a chance of BMW producing a ute, a company insider known as ‘ynguldyn’ hasn’t leaked anything information about such a model – nor have there been any reports in UK or European media – suggesting its arrival wouldn’t be until the second half of the decade at the earliest.
This would add the possibility of it being based on the brand’s forthcoming electric-car platform, if it was to become a reality.
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