American BMW Dealers Are Interested In The Big X9 SUV

Automakers love large SUVs because they generate huge profits. This is especially true for luxury models such as the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. Now BMW dealers in the US want a piece of that pie, too.

Cadillac sold 49,366 Escalades last year with internal combustion engines and an additional 8,115 electric units. Those are fantastic numbers, especially when the model starts at $91,100. On the other hand, Lincoln Navigator sales rose 42.8 percent to 22,185 units. This was triggered by a recent redesign, which customers have apparently embraced.

Even Infiniti is riding the full-size SUV wave, as its QX80 posted its best sales ever. Americans bought 13,590 units of this model last year, which is an increase of 31.4 percent.

BMW dealers have not missed all this and are now putting pressure on the Bavarian company to offer something above the X7. Technically, the X7 qualifies as a full-size SUV, but at 5,181 mm long and 2,000 mm wide, with a 3,105 mm wheelbase, it’s still short compared to GM’s offerings.

The standard Escalade is 5,382 mm long and 2,057 mm wide, with a 3,071 mm wheelbase. If this is extended to the long-wheelbase version of the ESV, it increases to 5,766 mm in length and 2,060 mm in width and has a wheelbase of 3,406 mm.

Speaking to Auto News, Kirk Cordill, president of the BMW National Dealer Forum, says, “I think we’d do very well” with a large, three-row SUV that would challenge the Escalade and Navigator.

Cordill added that the brand would likely do “extremely well” with the top-of-the-line X9. He even suggested an Alpina variant to rival the Black Label Navigator.

While it remains to be seen whether BMW will ever offer an X9, there could be room above the X7. The three-row crossover starts at $87,500 and rises to $115,000 for the X7 M60i. The company also offers the Alpina XB7 for $156,000, which is less than the Cadillac Escalade-V that starts at $168,000.

• Also See: BMW Achieved A High Placement Of Electrified Cars And Improved Global Sales In 2025