BMW ute won't go away

The BMW ute just won't go away – even the Indians are getting in on the act.

Indian Autos Blog has created this render of what a BMW pick-up could look like. And it’s getting people’s attention…

Stories on Mercedes-Benz X-Class have consistently been among the most read news here at motoring.com.au since the premium off-roader broke cover. So, we checked in with arch-rival BMW Australia (again) to see anything has changed on the potential or otherwise of a Bavarian ute.

Top man at BMW Australia, CEO Marc Werner was matter of fact.

"BMW Group Australia is very aware of the love affair this country has with the famous Aussie ute. Should one ever become available in the BMW range, we would add it to our extensive line-up as quick as a wink," he said.

Werner has previously stated he believes it's easier for brands like Mercedes-Benz and Audi to produce a pick-up, at least in part thanks to their commercial vehicle divisions and alignments with other brands.

That said, it should be noted that BMW and Toyota are about to release a new sports car with a shared platform. A Toyota HiLux-based vehicle could therefore offer the same opportunity.

Since 2011, the German and Japanese companies have had a technical partnership that is jointly developing hydrogen fuel-cell, lightweighting, electrification and, since 2013, lithium-air battery technologies.

Apart from the BMW Z4 replacement and born-again Toyota Supra, there's also been talk of a shared supercar from both brands, as well as a hydrogen-powered BMW i3 using fuel-cell tech co-developed with Toyota. Both companies have confirmed they will bring small-scale hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles to market.

Of the Z5/Supra project, BMW's global sales and marketing chief Dr Ian Robertson told us at the Geneva motor show: "It’s advancing quickly. The relationship is very strong. Designs and next steps are very strong, so watch this space."

Asked if the joint sports car would lead to further BMW-Toyota product collaborations, he said: "The first rule of a relationship is you need two strong players. When you have a weak player and a strong player generally it doesn’t turn out well, but Toyota’s a strong company and we’re a strong company.

"We both have very proven track records and that’s worked well with the research we’ve been doing with the batteries, with the hydrogen fuel-cell cars."

At this stage, however, we have no indications there's any serious program to build a BMW ute – HiLux-based or otherwise.

Instead, BMW is focussed on expanding its range of SUVs and crossovers with a larger version of the X5 edging much closer to reality.

The upcoming X7 is the next step in BMW's SUV assault, BMW Australia's head of corporate communications, Lenore Fletcher, explained.

"It's plainly clear from the X5's best-selling status in the Australian sales charts, this [type of vehicle] is very close to local buyer's hearts.

"X5 is consistently our best seller, and X7 is on the shopping list for Australia. If you want a premium AWD in Australia, we've got it covered," she said.

Not tonneau covered yet, however, it seems…