BMW Shelves Plans for X7 SUV

Here's a no-brainer. Automotive News Europe reported that BMW has canceled plans for an even larger SUV than the X5, the latter of

which has grown significantly since its redesign last year as it is.

The new model, long expected to get the X7 designation, has been axed, or so says BMW Chief Executive Officer Norbert Reithofer. The reasoning being its demise is more than sensible, as full-size SUV sales have been dwindling as fuel costs escalate.

Smaller sport utility vehicles and crossovers are selling well, however, so the X5 will remain as the company's flagship SUV while the new X6 takes in another direction as the brand's sporty crossover entrant. The compact X3 is seeing the most growth following trends in this segment, while reports of an even smaller X1 crossover, based on BMW's 1-Series, has been given the go-ahead.

The new model would target the ever-greening global market ideally, as lightweight, fuel-efficient crossovers are much more fashionable than the barrel-swilling utes of the past.