Electric BMW iX7 Storms the Nürburgring as the X7 M60 Chases

Three rows, zero tailpipes. BMW’s electric iX7 has been caught scything around the Nürburgring, with a snarling X7 M60 prototype hot on its heels. The flagship SUV still wears the heavy camouflage seen in spy shots earlier this year, but the message rings loud and clear. BMW’s electric luxury push does not stop at the iX5. Bigger, plusher and quieter is on its way.

Lap records are not the goal. Engineers use the 12.9-mile Nordschleife as a brutal durability test, and every BMW from the X1 to the 7 Series runs the same gauntlet. Under the disguise, the iX7 rides on an updated version of BMW’s CLAR architecture, so it skips the visor-style face worn by the iX3, iX4 and iX5. Split headlights stay, wrapped in fresh, crisply sculpted surfaces. Slick electric flaps even replace the conventional door handles.

The real muscle hides beneath the floor. BMW’s latest cylindrical-cell battery technology slots in, with charging speeds of up to 460kW expected. The iX7 should share its motors with the iX5, so at least one version will likely pack the 570hp dual-motor set-up from the iX5 60. Stretched roughly 125mm beyond the X5, it could also swallow an even bigger battery. The Range Rover Electric has been put on notice.

Petrol fans still get their fix. A separate X7 M60 prototype shadowed the EV, replacing today’s X7 M60i with a reworked 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8. The current engine already punches out 523hp, so a healthy bump looks likely. Open intakes in its giant kidney grilles and four tailpipes bursting from the rear bumper give it away. Inside both versions, a pillar-to-pillar Panoramic iDrive display takes centre stage.

Both SUVs will roll out of BMW’s Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, alongside the X5 and iX5. The iX7 should break cover in 2027, with showroom arrival to follow. A full-blooded X7 M looks unlikely, though, because BMW has never built one. A luxurious Alpina version is tipped for 2028 instead. Two characters, one giant SUV, and a very busy Nürburgring.