BMW AG chief executive officer, Mr. Norbert Reithofer, announced today that the BMW X6 had been already sold out for this year. According to him, BMW plans to produce 40,000 units in average worldwide in a full production year during the product’s lifecycle. Half of the worldwide production quota will be reserved for U.S sales.

Surprising that the X6 is sold out? Well, not really, most of the U.S dealerships sold their cars within the first week and there is a waiting list already at some of them. Wait until the X6 xDrive50 hits the showrooms….Do you remember the article I have posted about BMW X6 vs Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover ? It was based on an internal BMW document which compared the above cars head-to-head. The article made waves all over the web and it has been bashed by many people. Like here

No one really believed that the X6 will be such an outstanding car. I remember talking to a BMW employee that had the opportunity to test the car back in January and his exact words were: “Everyone will be blown away by the performance and handling of this new model, there is simply no other car in its class that will match up”.

If you haven’t had the chance to drive one, call your local dealers and maybe you’ll find one that you can drive.

Update: Just to clear out the confusion, by SOLD OUT, BMW meant being sold out from the factory to the dealers. There are still dealers that have some X6’s on the lot, but many of them don’t, based on the area and the market they are in.

P.S Here are some of the first official BMW X6 Photos

The BMW X6 has reached man U.S dealerships already and many test drives have been performed. The fuel consumption was one thing that all these reports were lacking. Back in January, we have posted a comparison between the BMW X6, Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover Sport.

At that time, some preliminary fuel consumption numbers were released. The X6 35i came up with 21.53 MPG, while the V8 xDrive50i's fuel consumption was measured at 18.17. What we did not know at the time was if the numbers posted were an average between the city and highway figures.

Yesterday, BMW has released the preliminary EPA numbers. The X6 xDrive35i came in at 15/20/17mpg city/highway/combined, while the 404hp turbo V-8 completed the test cycles with ratings of 13/18/15mpg.

For those of you waiting for the X6 hybrid version, due out in 2009, well, let's just say that the MPG won't improve by much, 18-19mpg combined.  

Take a look at this BMW X6, it basically breaks my heart. The car has not even been released yet and we already see a damaged one. Apparently the incident was caused by a deer during a test drive this past week. What strikes me though is that the fender seems to be made out of plastic?! 

Update: Apparently, we are not the only ones that think the fender is made out of plastic. A member of Germancarzone seems to believe the same thing. 

[Via Autospies ] 

The BMW X6 reviews and test drives keep coming in. Last week, it was Jalopnik's turn to test drive the all new crossover X6. The conclusion: the X6 lives up to its expectations.

A couple of days ago, our dear friends at Autoblog had the same opportunity of test driving both the X6 xDrive35i along with its bigger "brother", the xDrive50i. The conclusion? Well, we'll let you read the full article, it is quite fascinating. 

Our own personal review is just around the corner as well, so check back with us.

The long awaited BMW X6 35d has been reviewed by our friends at Carmagazine UK . The BMW X6 will have its official launch next week, starting with the gasolines engines and by the end of the year, an diesel engine will follow. Early this week, our colleagues at Jalopnik have also reviewed the X6 and I invite you to read that article as well.  

The BMW X6 35d will be powered by a 3.0 liter diesel engine with 286bhp @ 4400rpm and 427lb ft @ 1750-2250rpm.

We’ve heard of niches, but come on – an SUV coupe? Sounds a bit roast beef with ice cream to us. But from June 2008, that’s what BMW has in store. The X6 is the latest addition to the maker’s SUV portfolio of X3 and X5, which is already the best-selling premium line-up in Europe. The X5 3.0d is, surprisingly BMW’s third best-selling single model outright.

The new X6 isn’t meant to be a mass-seller (no surprises there), but a stylish alternative to the X5 upon which it’s derived. Think of it as an off-road, 4×4 6-Series, they say. But is that too much for the motoring public to get their heads around, we say…

Continued

I just wanted to share with you some BMW X6 photos, but this time, instead of the usual gasoline engine, I will give you something better: the BMW X6 35d. Yes, the X6 diesel option.

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With all the fuss over the BMW X6 and the high request of posting new X6 photos, we decided to start a BMW X6 Gallery, similar to one of our most read articles, the BMW 1 Series Ultimate Photo Gallery.

The article will be updated weekly and we encourage you to contact us with have X6 photos that you would like to be posted.

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The reviews for the all new BMW X6 are starting to come out. This week, it was Jalopnik's turn to test drive the X6 and share the details with us. 

"The 2009 BMW X6 isn't great on a racetrack. This thought occurs during my third lap when I realize — the throttle wide open, exiting a corner at 100mph — this may not be the best sports car out there. My next thought is "But this is a 4,993lbs SUV." And that's the point where you realize what we have here is something entirely new.

BMW calls the X6 a Sports Activity Coupe. That seems preposterous given both their constant assertion that their best selling SUVs, the X3 and X5, be referred to as SAVs and the X6's four doors, which is 2 more than the unofficial definition of a coupe allows. The BMW X6 is based on that X5, its main difference, aside from the obvious low roof, swoopy bodywork and huge ass, is firm suspension and the addition of Dynamic Performance Control.

It's the latter that makes the X6 so special. Basically the cleverest rear differential in the world, DPC apportions power to the rear wheels independently to improve agility, stability and traction at all times. This matters to you and me because it makes the X6 handle incredibly well and incredibly safely in any condition without cutting power or hitting the brakes to interfere.

Combine DPC with Adaptive Drive, which eliminates roll and dive, and two incredibly powerful engines and you have a car that performs better than even the wildest imagination allows.

The first indication of the X6's genre-creating genius came with a tearing sound from the back end. Getting on the power in the middle of a wet and foggy hairpin in the Appalachian Mountains that sound suddenly joined the twin-turbo inline-six's deep growl as the level of grip began to beggar belief. It's the sound of the rear differential working hard to keep the X6 accelerating rather than spinning. Its function is otherwise undetectable, except through the scarcely unbelievable speed with which it allowed me to attack that windy mountain road in the middle of a thunderstorm. 

 You can read the full review here

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Our friend Palbay has come through again. With his help, we are able to show you the latest photos from BMW Press Day at the Performance Center in South Carolina. Also, for the next few weeks, the BMW Performance Center will host training and driving sessions for all the BMW Client Advisors in the country. So therefore, for the next few weeks, expect some more photos and test drive reviews from us. 

Our friend Irv Robinson, from Motorwerks Barrington, will be there and he will give us the latest news and coverage from the test drive sessions.

From these photos, it certainly seems like BMW will turn this into a big event. There are many tents setup, so expect this to be a pompous event.  

Thank you again for the photos Palbay.

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We are less than two weeks away from the moment the first BMW X6's will be released to the dealers. Many of the U.S dealers should be start getting the first cars next week, so they should be available for driving. As we have reported in the past, the BMW X6 seems to be an amazing pierce of technology and the initial test drives were very encouraging. Some latest news also report that a BMW X6 hybrid for the U.S. market will be released as well. The hybrid X6 will go on sale in the U.S. and Europe starting mid-2009.

The X6 is rumored to be powered by a 4.4 liter V8 engine mated with an electric motor that produces 407 horsepower. BMW says the hybrid version will consume 20 percent less fuel than the petrol model.

Also, according to the latest new from Automotive New BMW expecting the U.S. to be the biggest market for its upcoming X6 crossover despite the high fuel prices. The guys at Auto news are citing a BMW board member said that the german autoamker is expecting half of the annual production volume to come from the U.S.

Initially, BMW plans to build 40,000 X6 models annually, with the U.S. market expecting to get half of that, while Germany and UK will get a combined 10% of the production.  

Mr. Eichiner has told Automotive News that the high gas prices in the U.S will not have a major impact on the X6.

“Maybe there could be some knock-on effect, but the U.S. is still the world’s biggest SUV market. This is why we are confident the X6 will be a success”.

The next few months will get pretty interesting, especially since BMW seems to be pushing more and more they hybrid technology and their EfficientDynamics. 

A full gallery and a detailed article can be found on egmcartech.com as well. 

Update: Here is the detailed pricing for the BMW X6 

Our friends at xbimmer forums managed to get their hands on what seems to be the first spy photos of BMW X6, Hybrid version. A while ago, we have informed you that an X6 Hybrid version might be released sometimes in 2009, in Europe. The same sources confirmed that the BMW X6 will be the first full-hybrid. Of course, no news on whether it will go on sale here in the States, but I am certainly positive that BMW will not skip a such important market.

Now, take a look at these photos and tell me what you think of the bulge found on the hood

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Here are some more BMW X6 videos. 

Thanks Palbay.

 Pretty cool videos, isn't it? Well, the wait will be over soon, the rumor is that some dealerships will receive their first X6's in less than two weeks.

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Once again, our dear friend "Palbay" came through for us. In case you missed our latest articles on the X6, Palbay,  is responsible for the recent spy photos of the X6. He's been "chasing" the new crossover coupe for a while now and he was able to snap many X6 shots somewhere near the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg. 

Here are some of those articles:

BMW X6 and more X6 shots

Today, he is giving us some videos of the X6, showing the car running at high speeds. Obviously, the engineers are testing the car to the maximum now, a month before the official release.

Awesome video, listen to that engine sound!!!

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Aren't you a little tired about all those X6 photos? Well, we are a little tired of them also, but I can't help it not to show you new photos as soon as they surface on the internet. Once again, the famous Palbay spotted a couple more BMW X6 in a parking lot at the Performance Center in Spartanburg. 

It's interesting how much different the Vermilon Red and the Space Gray look under a clouded sky rather than in a showroom. While they're still amazing choices in terms of exterior colors, I kinda dig more the sparkle that comes out of them while sitting under the artificial lighting.

A month from now, most of the U.S dealerships will start getting the X6's, so all those games with the spy photos will be over

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This is the first BMW X6 in the Alpine White exterior that I have seen so far. Most of the photos revealed by BMW were in either the Vermilon Red or the Space Gray, so it was a nice surprise to see the X6 in a different color, and especially in the Alpine White. The car was spotted at a dealership in AbuDhabi.

Video

Update: Credit for the photos goes to Maserati from germancarzone.com . Sorry guys, we forgot to add the link the first time.