The BMW X5 is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by BMW. The X5 made its debut in 1999 as the E53 model. It was BMW's first SUV. BMW marketed the X5 officially as a "Sports Activity Vehicle" (SAV), rather than an SUV, to indicate its on-road handling capability despite its large dimensions.
manuelf
Kraftkurve King
Yes. Unbelieveable. The first X5 simply was an outstanding milestone! Thank you guys for posting this video. Bangle simply was brillant. So much personality. Few can match him.
hovabongZA
Tire Trailblazer
I don’t think BMW knew back than that the X5 would be as successful as it is today. Owning Range Rover did help them create the X5. The motoring world owes a lot to Chris Bangle.
SCOTT27
Drift Dynamo
Yes Detroit NAIAS 1999. New X5 and anticipation for "The Phantom Menace" in the same year.
I was there. BMW launched The X5 with an indoor mini Ski-slope and acrobatic skiers.
SCOTT27
Drift Dynamo
Wolfgang Reitzle was the true father of the X5.
manuelf
Kraftkurve King
Whoever pushed Pischetsrieder into the CEO chair back then, made a big mistake! Reitzle was the superior car guy. He was a genius. Not that streamlined ... development engineers at BMW adored him. Had you asked them, who shall become CEO ... it would have been clear!
SCOTT27
Drift Dynamo
Believe it or not. Reitzle was next in line and he had support but he also had enemies inside the company. Some of Reitzle's ideas for the Rover Group were dismissed at the time before they actually went ahead and implementing them.
He was always against the offloading of Land Rover and BMWs first Range Rover began the ascendancy of the Range Rover today. The Range Rover family as it stands is very much the strategy envisioned under BMW.
Look at where Jaguar Land Rover are now. Tata as discussed in industry circles have no investment money,sales are down with Brexit being blamed. Especially when 2 German manufacturers are considering manufacturing in Britain-post brexit.
Will they be sold off? Will someone invest?
CrunchSlaughtered
RPM Ruler
As far as I remember Pischetsrieder was preferred over Reitzle, because with him BMW had bigger chance to obtain Rover due to being a nephew of Sir Alec Issigonish
SCOTT27
Drift Dynamo
This was after the Rover debacle which cost Pischetstrieder his position and the boardroom bloodbath that put Joachim Milberg in the driving seat.
The Shareholders wanted a safe bet in the CEO chair as did the banks.
This was a very vulnerable time for BMW in this period. Volkswagen were taking over the automotive galaxy and were aiming the Wolfsburg Death Star at Munich.
The Quandts had no such favour to be Alderannded and to spite Emperor Piech sold Land Rover to Ford for less than what VW offered.
But not just VW made the move to consume BMW. Ford were interested as was GM and LOL Fiat.
Never made public but please imagine the comments in Munich regarding some of these potential suitors which across in Stuttgart were locked in a nightmare with Chrysler.
It was with the removal of the Rover Group that things turned a very bright corner with the project of the all new model in the C-Segment the BMW 1er which rose from the failed Rover 400 replacement. Even more so the project would mimic the then BMW 3er family.
And then they launched MINI.
Which some, in the British media think would have saved Rover had BMW not kept it.
MINI was the goldmine everyone wanted even VW made a play for it. And Rolls-Royce.
Ultimate Car Guy
Porsche Perfektionist
Project E53 was developed under the Special Model Series Department at BMW's Development Division. Dr Burkhard Goeschel was responsible for that Department and thus deserves equal credit for the X5.
CrunchSlaughtered
RPM Ruler
And then he went in front of the car and said:"SAV, I'm your father"
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BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, abbreviated as BMW is a German multinational
manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
The company was founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, which it produced
from 1917 to 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.
Official website: BMW (Global), BMW (USA)
Official website: BMW (Global), BMW (USA)
