BMW X9 Rumor Visualized as ICE Land Yacht by kelsonik

BMW has confirmed it is considering a model positioned above the X7, aimed primarily at the North American market. The move would give the Bavarian brand a direct competitor to the new Audi Q9 and larger luxury SUVs sold in the United States.

The development follows Audi’s sequential reveal of the third-generation Q7 and the new, larger Q9. BMW dealers in America have welcomed the prospect of a bigger flagship, which would square off not only with the Mercedes-Benz GLS and Audi Q9 but also with the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Infiniti QX80, and Land Rover Range Rover.

Nothing is official yet, but a flagship BMW SUV is increasingly likely to arrive before the end of the decade. Building such a model in BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, would make commercial sense for North American demand and help avoid import tariffs.

BMW currently has two platform options for a larger flagship SUV: Neue Klasse, the dedicated electric vehicle architecture, or the existing Cluster Architecture, known as CLAR. CLAR appears the more likely choice because it supports a wide range of powertrains and maintains flexibility for markets where full-electric adoption is slower.

CLAR would allow BMW to offer internal combustion, hybrid, and electric variants, giving the company flexibility for the U.S. market.

A CGI take from kelsonik

While details of proportion and packaging remain speculative, digital designers have already begun to imagine what a BMW X9 might look like. Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist known online as kelsonik, has released an unofficial CGI that deliberately sidesteps Neue Klasse styling cues.

His rendering portrays an internal combustion flagship that favors a classic, expansive presence over EV design language. The vehicle is rendered as a broad, land yacht-like SUV with a prominent 3D V-shaped kidney grille and a more traditional BMW silhouette rather than the minimalist elements associated with Neue Klasse concepts.

The image is purely speculative and should be read as creative interpretation rather than an indication of production intent. BMW has signaled interest in a model above the X7 and already holds rights to the X9 nameplate; the company has also secured the XB9 moniker, which suggests the possibility of an Alpina variant.