Munich is so keen to emphasize the off-road machismo of its upcoming luxury-class BMW X7 SUV that it has released a video of prototype models undergoing testing in extreme conditions spanning the globe, from the frigid arctic circle to the burning heat of South Africa.
According to the manufacturer, the testing shows that the seven-passenger BMW X7, despite being aimed squarely at the top-end luxury market, is also up for a bit of serious off-road work.
"Under extreme challenges and a wide spectrum of weather and road surface conditions the first luxury-segment BMW X model has provided the ultimate proof of its supreme driving characteristics within the framework of driving dynamics testing," the press release reads.
"At the Winter Test Centre in Arjeplog, Sweden, during hot-climate tests, but also in everyday traffic situations around the home town of Spartanburg, the prototypes of the new BMW X7 have already had ample opportunity to convince with contemporary luxury and supreme diversity."
The BMW X7, which builds off the company's large-car CLAR platform, runs full air suspension to enable swift morphing from freeway cruiser to off-road behemoth.
To go into competition with the likes of Audi's Q7, the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class and Lexus LX, the BMW X7 is scheduled for an international launch towards the end of 2018. It will be built at BMW's Spartanburg plant in Carolina, USA, alongside the X3, X4, X5 and X6 models.
It's expected that the BMW X7 will follow the international launch later this year with a local arrival date some time in early 2019.
You can watch the video at this link.