BMW rules out 9 Series super-flagship

The X7 could spawn a more luxurious model, though.

Credible rumors claimed BMW would continue expanding the top end of its line-up with a flagship model named 9 Series. One of the company's most influential executives has poured cold water on the reports.

"I don't think you need a 9 Series," said Klaus Fröhlich, the head of BMW's research and development department, in an interview with British magazine Autocar. "In this segment, you need three cars - an X car, a saloon and an emotional sporty car - and we have them: the X7, 7 Series and 8 Series," he continued.

He pointed out that some of BMW's competitors are reducing the number of models they send to this segment because sales are dropping all around the world. Besides, models positioned above the X7, the 7 Series, and the 8 Series would risk overlapping with the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the Ghost, and the Wraith.

There's one exception BMW might make, and we bet you can already guess what it is. The 7 and the 8 have a limited amount of appeal in today's market, but the X7 faces a much brighter future. The X7 could spawn a sportier, swoopier model potentially called X8. It would put an emphasis on style and performance without offering more luxury than its seven-seater sibling; it would be to the X7 what Audi's Q8 is to the Q7. This positioning will help BMW avoid overlapping.

While the 9 Series is dead, assuming it was ever alive to begin with, the X8 is allegedly on track for production.