Daimler Has X6 In Its X-Hairs

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

When BMW launched its X6 a few years ago, it was widely considered an abomination and a deviation from the true BMW way. Justin Berkowitz, while still working for TTAC, called it the BMW Xcreable X6 and claimed it was conceived while “a BMW X5 went out drinking with a Scion tC. They had way too much Jose Cuervo and yada yada yada…”

As it happened so often, the opinions of the experts were ignored by the market, and the X6 turned into a runaway success. Audi supposedly can’t stand on the sidelines. Now, Daimler is rumored to line up an X6 fighter of its own.

Sources at Daimler told Automotive News Europe [sub] that the company will lay up a fifth model at its Alabama plant. According to ANE, “the model will be a coupe-styled variant of the Mercedes-Benz M class SUV, with production likely to start as soon as 2015.”

The SUV-Coupe is supposed to take buyers away from BMW’s X6 built in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is supposed to be called MLC,

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Flipper Flipper on Jul 23, 2011

    MLC = Madonna Louise Ciccone

  • MattPete MattPete on Jul 23, 2011

    I see one of these every so often (near where that skank Nancy Pfottenhauer lives) when commuting to work. Every time I see one I think: WTF? Seriously, what the frak is up with that slow, ungainly, vehicle? It's tall, so it'll require very stiff spring and wide tires to handle decently, which means that the ride will suck compared to a sedan. It has a sloping hatch, which means that cargo (and rear seat headroom?) sucks, and it acts as a greenhouse. Who in their right mind would buy one of these monstrosities over a 5-series w/AWD? OK, there are at least 6000 people that would buy a Hyundai with a Liberace chandelier ($$$$$), but other than $$$$, why does BMW even offer this? Seriously, it dilutes their brand. On a side note, yes, I drive a BMW sedan.

  • Spyked Spyked on Jul 23, 2011

    "As it happened so often, the opinions of the experts were ignored by the market, and the X6 turned into a runaway success. Audi supposedly can’t stand on the sidelines. Now, Daimler is rumored to line up an X6 fighter of its own." -Who are these so-called "experts" that expect their bad reviews to really make a difference to what real buyers want? It's the same with the Jetta - the "experts" claim it's junk yet the people with actual money have made up their minds by opening their wallets. What makes someone an "expert" in these case?

  • Pete Zaitcev Pete Zaitcev on Jul 24, 2011

    Nobody wants to compare this to Crosstour yet?

    • See 1 previous
    • Stuki Stuki on Jul 25, 2011

      The Crosstour is more like the GT. The ZDX is the X6 "fighter." In all honesty, the Crosstour (and GT) aren't bad cars. Compared to the other two, they are much less ungainly. In a country where the average humanoid is too fat to both crawl into a "low" sedan seat and inhale air at the same time, they're kind of the new standard height. While the ZDX and X6 are just plain silly any way you look at it. All the drawbacks of an SUV, with absolutely none of the advantages.

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