In case you haven’t heard of Midjourney, it’s an AI-based program that can create images based on text provided by the user. Someone at BMW decided to give it a whirl and see what results they would get after entering the following sentence: “Show us a jungle adventure on a different planet.” Some of the results have now been posted on social media where we can check out not one but two adventurous SUVs.
The first two renderings depict a large vehicle roughly the size of an X7 with all-terrain tires and a lifted suspension for generous ground clearance. We’re also noticing a roof rack and chunky plastic body cladding on the square wheel arches. Even the AI bot knows BMW’s grilles keep getting bigger as the years go by, but we’d argue that at least in this case, the kidneys are proportionate to the vehicle’s stately size.
Also illustrated in a Jurassic Park-themed environment, the other rugged SUV gives us the impression it takes after the third-generation X5 (F15). It’s arguably the least interesting of the two hypothetical models since it doesn’t look all that different compared to modern BMW X models.
These unexpected design exercises make us wonder why BMW has refrained from coming after the G-Class. Mercedes has been selling its go-anywhere luxury SUV since the late 1970s and the only rival it has to worry about is the Land Rover Defender. Audi is also missing a ladder-frame SUV that would nicely complement its array of unibody Q models.
BMW did create something remotely similar back in 2019 when it took everyone by surprise with an X7 pickup, but the beefy ute ended up purely as a one-off build. The Munich-based automaker has prioritized the development of an XM to sit at the top of the SUV range but we can’t help but wonder whether a body-on-frame X model would be a good addition.
That being said, we need to remain realistic since such a vehicle would require a significant investment because the German luxury brand doesn’t have a platform suitable for such a vehicle. It’s likely too late in the game now to invest in an architecture that would support combustion engines.
Maybe in the electric era?
Source: BMW / Instagram
