CarScoops published spy photos on Oct. 20 of a camouflaged BMW iX7 testing at the Nürburgring in Germany, the three-row electric SUV that sits beside the gasoline X7 in BMW’s large-SUV plans. A hotter X7 M60 prototype ran at the same circuit. Reporter Chris Chilton wrote that the EV looks much like the test cars photographed earlier this year, which is why the report treats it as a model nearing launch.
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A Nürburgring mule, and an unusual platform choice
The Nürburgring’s 12.9-mile (20.8 km) forest circuit is used for durability testing as well as dynamic assessment, and Chilton noted that a three-row electric SUV is not meant for track work. Seeing the iX7 there is therefore a sign of late-stage validation, with engineers shaking out chassis, cooling and body hardware rather than chasing lap times. The prototype was photographed by SH Proshots, and CarScoops describes the EV as looking much like earlier spy shots, so the design appears to have settled while the hardware keeps being tested. A gasoline X7 M60 shared the track, which shows BMW running both powertrains of the same large SUV through the same validation program ahead of the 2027 debut the reports describe.
The more surprising detail is underneath. According to the CarScoops report, “BMW isn’t giving the iX7 its Neue Klasse EV platform.” Instead the SUV is expected to share an updated CLAR architecture with the iX5 and X5, so it inherits the technology of the fifth-generation X5 family rather than the clean-sheet electronics of the newest BMW models. The body wears new, sleeker surfaces with a Neue Klasse-inspired feel and keeps the split-headlight face introduced for 2023, not the visor look of the iX3, iX4 and iX5. Electric wings at the base of the door pillars replace conventional handles.
BMW’s own X5 announcement explains how much of the newer thinking carries over. Dr. Joachim Post, the BMW board member responsible for development, said in the company’s press release for the new X5 that “the latest generation also benefits from the technologies in the Neue Klasse.” The same release says X5 series production starts at the Spartanburg, South Carolina plant in August 2026 and that the iX5 will be the first all-electric vehicle built there.
Battery and charging numbers are still estimates
Range and charging are the numbers that decide whether a three-row electric SUV works for a family.
CarScoops said the iX7’s battery could exceed 144 kWh. The iX5 uses a 144 kWh pack that BMW says delivers an EPA range of 435 miles (700 km), and the iX7 may be about 5 inches (125 mm) longer, which could leave room for a larger pack. Charging is expected to reach up to 460 kW using BMW’s cylindrical cell technology. The report offers no range figure for the iX7, only the expectation that it will challenge the Range Rover Electric and possibly the Cadillac Escalade IQ.
BMW’s published figures for the iX5 are a useful yardstick but not a promise. The company’s release cites up to 845 kilometres (525 miles) for the iX5 60 xDrive without naming the test standard, and it lists first variants arriving in late November 2026, with all-electric and plug-in hybrid versions following in early 2027. Motors are likely to be shared with the iX5 as well: CarScoops expects at least one iX7 version to use the 570 hp (578 PS) dual-motor setup from the iX5 60, with M-badged versions possible later.
The gasoline X7 M60 and the 2027 timeline
The second prototype was an X7 M60, which replaces the X7 M60i. Air intakes in the kidney grille, blanked off on the EV, and two pairs of exhaust tailpipes identify it. CarScoops expects a mildly reworked 4.4-liter S68 twin-turbo V8 in a mild-hybrid setup rather than a plug-in hybrid, up from the current 523 hp and 553 lb-ft. The 563 hp (571 PS) M760 xDrive, with unchanged torque, hints at the possible gain, and Chilton wrote that the M60 name loses its trailing letter but the car will almost certainly gain something else in the process.
Timing is where the reports differ in confidence. CarScoops expects the debut in 2027, with the iX7 going on sale the following fall and the gasoline X7 M60 losing its camouflage in 2027. BMW Blog, in its own Oct. 20 report on the same prototypes, says BMW has confirmed the second-generation X7 for 2027, that Spartanburg production reportedly starts in September 2027, and that the V8 M60 may arrive months after the first cars. It also reports an Alpina version, reportedly codenamed G69, that could follow in 2028. Many of those details are marked as reported or heard rather than confirmed.
BMW has not published iX7 specifications, so every figure above comes from the spy-photo coverage or from the related X5 and iX5 announcements. Earlier CarScoops coverage tracks the same test cars, including April photos of the iX7’s design and a June look at the iX5 and the redesigned X5 that supplies much of the hardware. No price has been reported, and the X5 family is the only official guide to the hardware. Until BMW shows the production SUV, the 144 kWh battery, the 460 kW charging rate and the 2027 timing remain expectations attached to a camouflaged prototype.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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