No Pickup Truck in BMW’s Future

BMW AG declares no interest in adding a pickup truck to compete against Daimler AG’s new Mercedes-Benz X-Class.

The costs of developing a luxury pickup on a new body-on-frame architecture doesn’t make sense for such a low-volume niche, Klaus Frohlich, BMW's development boss, tells reporters at this week’s Paris auto show. 

Executives previously indicated the company was open to a pickup truck. Those plans included the possibility of using a car-based monocoque architecture or sharing a platform with another company as Mercedes did with its X-Class pickup, which is based on the Nissan Navara.

Frohlich says neither approach is viable for BMW. He notes that a monocoque body would be “very compromised.” And he dismisses “badge-engineering” a model made by another company as a practice BMW would never consider.