BMW Reveals New X4 Concept Crossover

BMW AG will use this month's Shanghai auto show to publicly introduce its next crossover, the X4, in concept form. The company says the X4 will go into production late next year at its plant in Spartanburg, S.C.

The sporty crossover will share its platform with the more conventionally styled X3 crossover but have a wider track and a fastback profile reminiscent of BMW's larger X6. Design chief Karim Habib says the X4 signals design cues that will appear in all future X models.

At 183 inches long, the concept is about nine inches shorter than the X6. The vehicle measures 74 inches wide and 64 inches tall.

Design features include a blunt front end with prominent air intakes on each side, a low rear window, prominent wheel openings and a vertical rear end profile. The complex rear bumper, designed to make the X4 look wider, contains two integrated exhaust tips.

BMW has revealed nothing about the X4's all-wheel-drive powertrain. British enthusiast magazine Autocar predicts an array of 4- and 6-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, plus a plug-in hybrid powertrain each of which will be mated to a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic.