This Dune Taxi Electric Prototype Is The Wildest BMW Out There

2022-10-08 06:48:31 By : Ms. Tracy Lei

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This BMW Dune Taxi Electric prototype goes so fast, you could miss its aggressive looks in the blink of an eye.

When BMW unveiled a video of its Dune Taxi being driven hard and fast in the Middle East, it took most of us by surprise. BMW making a dune buggy? That almost seemed as impossible as Rolls-Royce making a pickup truck.

What you see is an all-electric off-roader; in fact, it could've easily been mistaken for being a Dakar Rally racer being teased by a manufacturer. If Audi could make one, then why not BMW? Now hold your horses, because there's more to this buggy than meets the eye.

This is just to show the world what BMW is capable of taking up as a challenge, even if all its vehicles shifted entirely to pure electrification. BMW does not want to make cars that don't look like cars, but there's no denying that this is a very cool way of showcasing its talent, keeping in mind the 'driving pleasure' BMW is known for.

BMW poured in quite a lot of money into the making of this buggy and video, but not with the purpose to participate in a future Dakar Rally or Xtreme E championship; it was just to flaunt a little - or maybe a lot.

It's quite putting off for anyone watching the video, because the manner in which it is driven, gives you the urge to see one in reality - if not on the roads, at least off them. Also, it's not a proper BMW; it's just the outer shell that's been designed and made by them, while what underpins it is a race car's chassis that already exists.

It's not a bad idea, but it has us hot under the collar they played a trick on us with the video. BMW had partnered with Spark Racing Technology to use the base of their car exclusively for the filming of this video. What you see on the outside has been designed by BMW Group Designworks.

In BMW's eyes, the Dune Taxi is a symbol of achieving the impossible even with electric off-roaders.

The concept looks radical - more like something that would seem at home, being driven on the surface of Mars. It's got the large kidney grille up-front which fits its face, unlike how ill-fitting it is on other BMWs.

The Dune Taxi looks sinister from up-front. The rest of the body has graphics all over it; it could possibly hide in a forest and not be heard as it creeps up on its predator. The fat tires give it a rugged stance, and if viewed from the rear, the tail lights look similar to the ones on the BMW iX all-electric SUV.

There's a pretty girl waiting somewhere in a remote village in the desert, and the Dune Taxi is coming for her at a rapid pace. It sounds exactly what a commercial airliner would while its taxing to hit the runway. But in this case, it looks cooler, because you're seeing it coming out of a four-wheeler.

It comes sliding-in in style, and stops. She suits up, steps in, and the driver floors it. It is found sprinting past camels, children and other vehicles, including a motorcyclist focused on the road ahead.

It suddenly turns off the road, and on to the desert sand after getting sideways quite a lot on the tarmac. It starts charging through the desert, jumping over dunes until two BMW X6 M SUV Coupes start chasing after it, like as if it was a criminal on the loose.

Then the all-electric iX SUV shows up from almost nowhere as it charges ahead, and joins the chase. The Dune Taxi drives off the sand, and back on to the tarmac where it dodges a line-up of first-generation BMW X5s doing wheelies, like a bunch of cones on a track.

It is then faced with a mountain-sized dune, where it climbs effortlessly, like it's got padded feet and a jet-pack on its back. It reaches the top successfully, where none of the other BMW SUVs could dream of coming.

It's basically a racing car by Spark Racing Technology and a BMW body. It's not a BMW product through-and-through, and that's a bit of a bummer, considering BMW has what it takes build a fully electric powertrain for a desert racer-like concept.

The partnership with Spark Racing could possibly continue, as Spark will build the chassis, while BMW could work on a powerful battery pack and powertrain. For now however, it remains just a 'cool concept'.

This could actually light the bulb over someone's head at BMW to take a project like this forward. BMW must certainly attempt coming up with something for the beaten path, even it isn't going to race in the Dakar desert.

If Audi can push the limits of battery and electric powertrain technology, so should BMW - and if they push it to motorsport territory, they will have added yet another feather in their cap!

Rehan got published for the first time at the age of 17, having written a feature on a Triumph Herald in print. He uses his writing as a tool to express his fondness for all things automotive even today, aged 28. Collecting scale models is a hobby close to his heart, and he wishes to sprinkle pixie dust on them only to see them grow into full-sized cars. He now represents HotCars.com.