BMW is turning up at the Paris show with a concept teaser to its X1. I don’t even have to start telling you about the X1 – you can guess instantly from the name what it is.
So far, so dull. But BMW has another all-new range up its sleeve, and it’s also due to launch, like the X1, next autumn. And this one needs explaining. Ahoy the PAS. That’s Progressive Activity Sedan. Huh?
Right, the PAS will have another badge when it launches, but PAS is the internal designation. It is another spin-off from the 5-series platform (like the 6-series, X5 and X6) so you can easily guess at the palette of engines, transmission and equipments.
It’s the body that’s interesting. Or, if you prefer, plain odd. It’ll look like an X6 that’s been lowered. The ‘Progressive Activity’ bit is accounted for by the versatile interior: rear seats that slide and fold.
Plus a tailgate that BMW thought was terribly clever and novel, until it turned up on the new Skoda Superb. It’s a bootlid one minute, a hatchback the next.
The PAS is BMW’s second stab at a sort of luxo-hatchy-people-mover. They spent a fortune on developing a prototype sporty MPV, but it was canned late in the day. Its goose was cooked by the fact the Merc’s R-class flopped so badly, and the fact that BMW engineers said they just couldn’t make a minivan feel like a BMW.
Whether the PAS does any better is anyone’s guess. Let me know yours by tapping the comments below.
I, for one, am actually hoping that this credit crisis serves to refocus some of these car makers, perhaps BMW most of all. Things like the x1 and PAS concept (isn’t it just a 5 series wagon with 4WD?) are distracting BMW from making things like the next M3CSL, which I view as a dilution of the core brand principles.
Of course, they make things like the x1 because it makes them money (or they think it will, anyway), which in turn lets them spend (or maybe even lose) money on building us CSLs. And in the current climate, making money is probably more important to BMW’s board than building the ultimate driving machine.
It’s tragic isn’t it?
Yet another niche that we never previously knew existed aimed firmly at the kind of people who use money they do’t have to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.
PAS? POS more like it…..
So they should. This shows that cars don’t have to conform to regular shapes and sizes, although the X6 is pointless. Nice though…
I’m quite favourable to cars like the X6 et similia.
They make their buyers recognizable morons at distance, even before they move. Which is a handy feature for normal drivers.
I think the bmw x1 is a pointless concept and a waste of money because its just like the x3 a waste of time. if i was working at bmw and i got to decide what cars come out next i wouldnt even think about making an x1 and i wouldnt even buy one. i would buy a landy
The only car that I wish BMW would make that there hasnt been anything but rumours about is an X7. I feel that there is no real competition to the Range Rover as far as size and limousine-ness go and after reading reviews of the new 7 series, I think they could pull it off. However, I suppose Id also quite like to see a BMW supermini…
A BMW X7, a Range Rover competitor!!!!! You must be kidding. Have you actually spent one second reading this website for the past week!!!!! I think there must be one word in the mouths of the whole motorcar industry and that’s “downsizing”. To be quite honest, I would’t want to be Land Rover right now. It’s going to be a long wait before the LRX hits the road. Hopefully, TATA’s got enough money to sustain Land Rover for the next months!!!!!!! Maybe, by the looks of things, their timing wasn’t that great ater all.
BMW need to shelf the X1, The PAS is a good idea. BMW need a luxury people carrier that will make chrysler Grand Voyager and others so like history. The seats on PAS should slide and fold and turn into wine tables or confrence tables, the roof should half open in case we get a glimse of sunshine or in a champagne popping mood, 40 inch TVs,press the emergency botton and it races a ferrari to safety. oh god, am getting hynotized. Go on Beema
BMW knows nothing other than high tech. Shelf the X1 and put all the time and resources ino PAS. I will buy one.Dont worry about petrol just like you dont have to wory about the air we breathe
We want PAS with folding and sliding chairs which turn into coffee tables, roof half opens,provision of emergency button which enables the car to race a ferrari when pressed, bullett proof and a satellite connection to TV and phone, 42″TV, what a car that would be
It seems Mercedes and BMW have an annoying problem with releasing cars no body actually wants! Whats wrong with a standard range of cars that covers all bases? Citroen and Ford seem to be doing it quite well!
Ciroen and Ford seem to be doing quite well??? Urm not the last time i checked, i mean citroen will actually give you money back if you buy a car from them!
I believe, the German, luxury, automakers today are just pumping out to many models. Mercedes and BMW have so many niches, it is hard to keep up. Mercedes should get rid of all of its SUVs, including the G. They really don’t feel like a mercedes when you drive one. They don’t look good, and Mercedes’ quality goes down because of these SUVs.
BMW, on the other hand, was perfectly fine with the X3 and X5. They were decent cars, with decent sales. Now they have the X6, a hopeless attempt to find a niche that doesn’t exist. The X1 is just a tiny, unusable version of the X3. BMW needs to stop trying to find niches and work on making their saloons, coupes, and convertibles better. Some of their cars look ghastly because BMW found a niche that doesn’t exist. You don’t need the PAS. If you want something that size get a 5 series. Also, I think BMW should really focus on an 8 series. They need a car to compete with the CLS, Audi A7, Porsche Pannamera, Aston Martin Rapide, and Lamborghini Estoque.
I don’t see what is wrong with having all these niches. The Renault Scenic seemed a strange idea when it was launched, but now it is accepted and is one of the best-selling people-movers in the UK.
i think BMW have gone mad
what BMW is missing is a family hatchback – i think if they did a hatchback it would be a good car
What about the Mini Crosser? Surely that is the biggest sign that someone in BMW has been at the e-numbers after being allowed in the sand pit.
The X1 is practically a novel and solid idea compared to that little beauty.
Is Bmw chief designer an ex world war II tank designer? X5, X6, X3… tigers tank totally pointless. Good idea the X7 (survival1) bigger than a audi Q7 with a huge 16 cilinders 700 bhp twin turbo diesel, also available in long version and soon an hybrid…
BMW would do better if they designed cars that LOOKED good. They seem to be picking the worst proportioned cars of all time, upsizing them 50%, and flame-surfacing them. The X6 reminds me of the old “fastback” classic Mini, only worse. The 1-series has the proportions (and ugliness) of a 1960s Australian horror called the Zeta. For years I aspired to a modern-day 2002 and when the 1-series was released I just couldn’t face the thought of walking over to it each morning to drive off, no matter how well it drove.
So what do I drive? A new Mini – so I guess BMW still wins! But it looks good as well as driving well, so it’s no surprise it sells so well.
BMW what a great collection of some cars.x5,x6 pointless looks like designed by drunk monkeys on acid, come on e30, M3,635,CSL,M5,MINI all design firsts where did it all go wrong? are all there cars designed by computers for computers no soul come on BMW we now you can do it more excellence and less dross.
To John 68
Hi, an interesting analysis you’ve got. And yes, BMW will be making what you call an 8-series, a rival to the Aston Rapide and Panamera. It’s the production version of the Concept CS. Expect it in 2011.
We have the bmw 1 series ,3 series,5 series ,6 series, 7 series and the x3,x5 and x6 .We dont need anymore x’s .do we ?,and i how if it does go into production bmw will give a good range of engines to follow suit .eh ,2.0 ,3.0.and maybe a 5.0 litre
I liked BMW much better when all they sold were the 3,5 and 7 series cars. Their SUV’s are just really tall cars. They are not any good off road, and because they have a high center of gravity, not much good on the road either. At least they haven’t made an SUV out of the Mini…nevermind…
So it’s basically a 5-series hatchback?? What the hell? Are the Germans so far ahead that they can waste time finding pointless niche gaps in the market…what next…a 1-series beach buggy…a Z4 2-seat MPV…a 7-series convertible powered by solar panels…or perhaps an off-road MINI..(wait…i think that might be real). It amazes me that BMW can waste time doing all this nonsense and still have the time and money to develop new engines every few weeks, the “efficient dynamics” systems, a new and increasingly freaky MINI concept at every major motorshow, various Rolls Royce each more awesome than the last and hire stylists from 20 years in the future.
BMW are just making pointless cars these days.
The X6 they say is a Sports Activity Coupe..What’s the point of it? What are they going to do next? Maybe they’ll do a Z6 Which will be a Sports Saloon Convertible People Carrier..
what where BMW thinking when they where designing the X6
hmmmm, i reckon that like the other cars in this niche that have flopped before, so will this one. Mainly, due to lack of demand… i mean who is going to pay for an X1 when its basically and even smaller more rubbish version of the X3? why would one pay good money for it when the other cars in the range are a far better choice? and once again the price will be at a ‘Premium’ since this is BMW… C’est la vie…
What is the point it is going to be the same size as X3. What a waste of time?
Personally, I hate the X1. so the PAS will probably be just as bad. I think that BMW are wasting dosh on designing all of these soft-roaders/4×4s. Why can’t they just concentrate their money on bringing out new coupes and saloons-what they do best. Although I have heard of the new 8-series concept, I still think that Beemer are wasting their time with the X1 etc. Whats the point of a car that is of the same size and ugliness as the X3?
well i think that the x6 is cool, if only because it looks different from all the rest of the other SUVs. not everyone is in the know, and to them, an x6 would look good – even if it really isn’t. however, with the x1 and the PAS, i think someone has to shake BMW to their senses. they have been doing fine without these niche cars, and it’s not like anyone’s going to choose bmw over another brand just because they have this extra model which does.. uh.. what?
Good, more niches is all we need
However its a good job that theres a luxo-sporty element in a lot of new cars being rumoured recently: the car makers, shining beacons of prosperity in boom time, should keep rumouring cars like this.
It might send out the “don’t panic” message everyone needs.
Optimism breeds prosperity and the like
If BMW stopped turning out crap such as the PAS, X1,X3, X6 and so on maybe we would have good stuff like, say, M6 CSL (long overdue), 8Series (massively overdue), a decent 1Series replacement and a rival for the Aston Rapide etc (the Concept CS idea got binned btw).
For all you BMW bashers,I just wanted to share with you that I’ve just been driving the 120 m sport convertible and with the roof down along Scottish coastal roads it is the most impressive car I’ve come across in ages.
170 bhp to the rear wheels is perfect and the build quality sublime,the metallic black with red leather might not be everyones taste but that car is what motoring is all about.
Hats off BMW,I’m having that.
мда.. вот как оказалось !
OK. Most people posting here hate the X6. I actually like it. Drives and handles better than anything this size should. Why am I buying a 2010 X6 5.0? Because it has enough space for what I need, is faster than hell, handles amazingly well, and is big enough so that the aggressive idiots driving around the DC metro area won’t be able to run me off the road anymore. Almost went with the X5 diesel. But the X6 blows it away. I suggest that you test drive an X6 before you pass judgement.