BMW recently teased an electric off-road racer called the Dune Taxi in a promotional video released by its Middle East division.
The automaker hasn't made a formal announcement about the Dune Taxi or where it will be racing, but the vehicle resembles the Odyssey 21 used in the Extreme E series. In the video, BMW said the body is made with a natural fiber-reinforced polymer—just like the Odyssey 21.
The specs differ a bit, however. BMW claims the Dune Taxi produces 536 hp, which is a bit less than the 550 hp Extreme E claims the Odyssey 21 makes in race trim. BMW also claims 738 lb-ft of torque and 15.7 inches of suspension travel, the latter figure slightly more than what Extreme E quotes for the Odyssey 21.
Still, the Dune Taxi and Odyssey 21 are close in specification, so perhaps BMW is mulling an Extreme E entry. Or perhaps BMW will take the Dune Taxi to the Dakar Rally to compete against the electric Audi RS Q E-Tron, which has been freshly upgraded to E2 spec with redesigned bodywork and tweaks to optimize energy efficiency, among other changes.
BMW Dune Taxi
At any rate, the Dune Taxi looks pretty impressive in the video, which also features cameos by the BMW X6 M Competition and iX M60. Toward the end of the video, the Dune Taxi slaloms around some E53-generation X5s riding on two wheels, then climbs a 130-degree dune incline.
The video ends with a tease of the BMW Concept XM SUV, which will be revealed in production form on Sept. 27. Sporting a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 in plug-in hybrid configuration, estimated to deliver around 750 hp, the XM is on track to be the most powerful BMW production vehicle to date.