In 2014, BMW did the unthinkable by starting his first car with a layout before the frame of the front -wheel drive. In addition, the 2 Series Active Tourer was a minivan. It was far from the Etho’s “Ultimate Driving Machine”, and Munich doubled with a gran tourer derivative with seven seats. However, a family tractor had been in the sense of the company for at least in the early nineties.
Before the original X5 (E53) was approved for production, BMW had viewed a minivan to expand its line -up beyond the usual harvest of limousines, wagons and coupes. The minivans were still a big deal in America in the 1990s before SUVs gradually took over the decade. Rich Brekus was appointed head of product planning in June 1994 and remembers that he was asked about a popular movement during his interview.
“Vic [Doolan, BMW of North America president] Asked me a critical question, and I still don’t know if it was a serious question or whether he tested me: ‘Munich thinks about making a minivan. Do you think we should make a minivan? ‘I said: “You would no longer be in the thought of making a minivan, but you have to do an SUV. No off-road SUV, but an SUV on the street. Here is the market. ‘”
It is certainly to say that Brekus was right on the money. If BMW had a minivan instead of the X5 green light, the company would have come to the SUV party too late. This would have made Mercedes possible to achieve even more sales with the M-Class (1997) and Lexus with its RX (1998). The Lincoln navigator and the Cadillac Escalade also arrived at the turn of the century, followed by the Porsche Cayenne. BMW’s timing was right and it could have been even better if the E53 had not been delayed by one year.
Until 2014, when the F45/F46 came out, the Bayern line -up already contained four more crossovers. The X1, X3, X6 and the X4 started this year was started. After BMW expanded its offerings, he had the freedom to test the water with a minivan. Fast lead to 2025, and the MPV experiment still takes. However, reports indicate that it will come to an end later this decade. The 2 series Active Tourer (U06) is said to be completely eliminated in 2027.
Funny fact: In the 1990s there was actually a BMW minivan. The ItaltDesign Columbus was a crazy Neunsitzer with a V12 engine from the 7 Series (E32). A naturally sucked-off 5.0-liter M70 unit, which was mounted across the vehicle, provided 300 hp to all four wheels. By chance, the polarizing concept from 1992 contained a central driver’s seat, just like another BMW V12 car of that time, the mighty McLaren F1.
