2024 BMW M5 ute rendered

The concept and seemingly never-ending discussion of a BMW ute has been around for decades and now, despite the Bavarian brand repeatedly ruling out such a project, it just won’t stay dead.

Over the years there have been unofficial renders of M3 utes, XM single-cabs and X7 pick-up trucks, not to mention a couple of working M3 prototypes converted in-house by BMW.

Mocked up my Facebook creator X-Tomi Design (who has a penchant for BMW utes) in the wake of the M5 Touring’s global debut, this would-be 535kW/1000Nm plug-in hybrid monster more than lives up to the old-school recipe cherished by Aussies: two doors, long tray, a V8, big performance and ballsy exterior design.

There are a few key areas the M5 Pick-up breaks the traditional mould however – it’s European, all-wheel drive and electrified.

Purists might scoff at the latter two points, but 0-100km/h in less than four seconds and a top speed north of 300km/h speak for themselves.

Unfortunately, it will never happen.

BMW product manager Bernd Koerber recently decreed a ute or pick-up of any description, let alone a high-performance two-seater, was “beyond the brand”.

Australia has been ruing the loss of the iconic Aussie Holden and Ford utes, and it’s not uncommon to see the performance versions go for six figures online and at auction, especially the HSV and FPV variants.

Since then, the closest we’ve come to reliving glory days are the monstrous (but ladder-frame) RAM 1500 TRX and second-gen Ford Ranger Raptor, both of which circulate in a very different part of the Aussie ute scene and cost quite a bit more than the Commodores and Falcons of yesteryear – when they were new.

The HSV Maloo GTSR W1 was the ultimate example of these low-riding load-luggers, and now the world of digital creation has provided us with an unofficial follow-up: the BMW M5 Pick-up.

Flick through the galleries on this page for a look at previous BMW ute renders and the fully-functional M3 prototype.

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