BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse in an interview with CNBC published on Thursday confirmed plans for production of a new vehicle to be added to the automaker’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The plant, which is BMW Group’s biggest in the world, currently builds crossovers exclusively. The list includes the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7.
Zipse would only say that the new vehicle is a “high-end” offering and a new addition to the lineup, as opposed to a redesign of an existing vehicle.
The vehicle in question is likely to be a new flagship crossover related to the X7 and badged an X8, though there are rumors it may end up as a standalone BMW M model badged an XM.
Photos of prototypes show a crossover with a slanted roof similar to the one on the X2, as opposed to the flat roof of the X5 and X7, or coupe-like roof of the X4 and X6.
Zipse said a formal announcement on production of the new vehicle will be made later this year. The start of sales should follow in 2022, meaning we’ll likely see it arrive as a 2023 model.