BMW bans pick-up

There will be no Mercedes-Benz X-Class competitor from BMW.

That’s official and BMW development chief and board member Klaus Frohlich takes responsibility for the decision.

“I’m the bad guy,” Frohlich told Australian media at a roundtable during this week’s Paris motor show.

“I see no evidence that we can ever do a good proposition.”

With pick-up sales booming and the pricing centre of gravity on pricing moving ever higher, BMW’s Australian division has been campaigning for a utility for years.

But that cuts no ice with Frohlich, who insist the category is not a money-maker for BMW.

“Every business case we did so far … it was by far not relevant,” said Frohlich.

“For us, the market segment is too small, because we are at the higher price level for pick-ups.

“The premium side of that market is extremely small … there’s only a few regions of the world – Australia is one of them.”

BMW Australia’s campaign even gained a high-profile backer in former Asian region chief Hendrik von Kunheim, the son of legendary former BMW boss Eberhard von Kunheim.

Twelve months ago von Kunheim famously labelled the X-Class “appalling”, saying Benz had not done enough to differentiate it from the Nissan Navara it is based on.

At the same time he revealed he was under constant pressure from his Australian division to get a ute under development, even sticking a picture of a mocked up BMW ute on his smartphone as a constant reminder.

But Frohlich made it clear all the arguments fell on deaf ears.

“If you look at the pick-up market … if you look at the segment of the pick-up trucks, it’s very much utilities, so median price points are very, very low.

“Every business case we did so far … it was by far not relevant. For us, the market segment is too small, because we are at the higher price level for pick-ups.”

He rejected an alignment with Toyota to develop a pick-up, even though it builds the popular HiLux and the two companies worked together to develop the Supra and Z4 sports cars.

“We will never do something badge engineering,” said Frohlich.

BMW Australia’s campaign had centred around using a monocoque chassis as a basis for a pick-up and then developing the most dynamic and sporting model in the class from it.

But Frohlich rejected that idea too.

“To do a proper pick-up you need a ladder frame architecture,” he said. “If you do a monocoque body, this is very much compromised.

“I have only two architectures and I do not get a proper pick-up truck out of it.”

So, cop that all you V8 Commodore and Falcon ute owners -- you won’t be graduating to a BMW any time soon!