The last holdout just fell. Sources tell BMWBLOG that the next-generation BMW X7, codenamed G67, will ditch its two-piece tailgate in favor of a conventional one-piece design. The move mirrors what BMW already did with the new X5 this summer, and it marks the end of a feature that dates back to the original E53 X5 in 1999.
This is a reversal from what BMWBLOG itself reported in August, when sources indicated the G67 would carry over the split tailgate as a differentiator from the X5. The split headlights from that same report still check out on every prototype spotted since, including X7 M60 and iX7 mules photographed at the Nürburgring this week. But the tailgate call was wrong, and the outlet is correcting the record.
BMW has been transparent about why it dropped the split gate on the X5. Michael Ahlers, the X5’s head of project, told BMWBLOG the horizontal seam between the two sections was a design liability. Philip Koehn, BMW’s SVP of Product Line Luxury Class, was more direct, saying the lower flap works great if you have arms like his at nearly two meters tall, but “any average person with average arm length is actually struggling” to reach past it into the cargo bay.
Fair enough on the X5, where a faster roofline already compromises the tailgate opening. Harder to swallow on the X7. Prototypes show a tall, upright rear end with a near-vertical profile that dealers who previewed the car in May described as boxy, almost wagon-like.
The reach problem exists, sure. Fold all three rows flat and the far end of that cargo floor is a long way from the bumper. But the X7 is the vehicle where a drop-down lower section earned its keep every weekend, serving as a bench for swapping muddy boots, a ledge that kept heavy boxes off painted bumpers, a practical touch that justified the price premium over the X5.
Once the current G07 X7 ends production, the only BMW Group SUV left with a two-piece tailgate will be the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Twenty-seven years of the feature across BMW’s SUV lineup, gone.
The G67 reportedly enters production at Plant Spartanburg in September 2027, which points to a reveal next summer. Split headlights stay, matching the facelifted 7 Series. The doors get the winglet-style handles from the new X5, and the third row remains, a decision Koehn said was obvious given the vehicle’s size.
Powertrains will include gasoline and diesel inline-sixes plus an X7 M60 with the twin-turbo 4.4-liter S68 V8. The current M60i makes 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, and a modest bump is expected. No plug-in hybrid is planned, and no full X7 M either.
There will be a first-ever electric iX7, and an ALPINA version, reportedly codenamed G69, could follow in 2028 with only two rows of seats. Inside, expect the full 7 Series treatment: the 31.3-inch Theater Screen for rear passengers and the iDrive X interface, minus the rotary controller.
The spy photos tell an interesting story on their own. Test cars still wear a black horizontal band across the tailgate right where a split seam would sit. BMW pulled the same camouflage trick on X5 prototypes before the production car revealed a seamless gate, and that deception worked twice.
If you want a BMW SUV with the split tailgate, the window is closing. The current X7 is your last shot, and Spartanburg’s assembly line has a date with its replacement.
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