New BMW X7 seen for the first time, and it’s getting the Neue Klasse treatment

We only got confirmation last month that BMW’s largest SUV, the X7, will return for a second generation, but we’ve caught it testing on the road already as it’s prepared for an expected launch in 2026. 

BMW subtly announced the new model during its Q1 financial results call earlier this year, during which the company revealed it had incurred the research and development costs for the upcoming Neue Klasse line-up (which will launch later this year with the new iX3) as well as “successor models to the BMW X5 and BMW X7”.

News of a fifth-generation X5 was no surprise, as we’ve also spotted it testing with some clear design influences from the Neue Klasse concepts. As with the new X5, due in 2026, the X7, which may also arrive next year, looks like it’ll borrow styling from the Neue Klasse line-up. 

What is immediately obvious from the shots of this camouflaged test car is that the X7 will retain its position as BMW’s biggest SUV. The sheer proportions will surely give it seven-seat capacity once more, ensuring it remains a close rival to the Mercedes GLS (which will soon be updated) and the full-size Range Rover. 

At the front end, it looks like the new X7 will continue with the split headlight design that appears on the current car and the 7 Series limousine flagship. Here we can see a chunky headlight cluster below a thin LED strip. In the middle, there’s a vertical kidney grille arrangement – we’ll have to wait and see if this merges into the headlights, as per the Neue Klasse concept models. 

Also visible are some tabs on top of the doors to the side, which is something we’ve seen on other prototype BMWs, including the next-generation X5. At the rear, the design is less radical, with a quad-tip exhaust system on this car suggesting it could be a hot M50 or M60 variant, plus an overhanging roof spoiler. 

Underneath, the new X7 is expected to sit on a revised version of BMW’s existing Cluster Architecture (CLAR). This platform is able to cater to both internal-combustion and pure-electric powertrains. While BMW hasn’t suggested the new X7 will gain a pure-electric variant, the German firm has at least trademarked the ‘iX7’ nameplate. 

An all-electric iX7 wouldn’t be too surprising, however, given that BMW is in the process of creating EV variants of its core models. The Neue Klasse programme will see the introduction of the X3-sized iX3 first, followed by the all-electric ‘i3’ 3 Series and at a later stage an electric ‘i1’ 1 Series. 

It’s possible the electric components for the iX7 could be taken from the i7. Powering the CLAR-underpinned i7 is a 105.7kWh battery with three different power outputs – a single-motor rear-wheel-drive 449bhp unit, a dual-motor four-wheel-drive 537bhp version and a top-rung dual-motor with 650bhp. 

Given the X7 is an SUV, we’d expect only the dual-motor all-wheel-drive layouts to be offered.

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