BMW seems to be working on an electric vehicle (EV) with a ladder frame, but what type of car this might be isn’t entirely clear.
Last week CarBuzz found a BMW patent for a ladder frame at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.
The design features three sections, each made by casting. The centre section is designed to carry the car’s battery pack, while the front and rear sections house the suspension and electric motors. On top of this chassis a separate body is mounted.
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There’s no mention of a petrol engine or drivetrain support, instead the filing focusses exclusively on EV applications. Sadly the application doesn’t give any clues as to what type of car this ladder frame is intended for, with BMW claiming it can be used for a “sedan, SUV, station wagon, compact, hatchback, convertible”.
Since the 60s the vast majority of BMW’s production cars have used monocoque construction. Notable exceptions include the M1 supercar, which had a spaceframe, and the i3 hatchback and i8 coupe that sported body-on-frame designs.
It’s possible the ladder frame could be used for an off-roader that’s more capable than today’s X5.
A report from Automotive News in August last year claimed BMW is working on an SUV, codenamed ‘G74’, to take on the likes of the Land Rover Defender, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and Lexus LX. The latter two models have a traditional ladder frame setup, while the Defender has a hybrid design.
The trade publication’s sources say the G74, if approved, will go into production during the second half of 2029 at the company’s plant in South Carolina.
According to the report, though, G74 is based on the same CLAR platform as the X5. CLAR underpins most of the company’s vehicles from the 3 Series upwards, and supports internal combustion, plug-in hybrid, and pure electric drivetrains.
It should also be noted that companies patent many ideas that never make it into production, so the existence of a patent doesn’t prove the G74 project has been given the green light. As patents usually take a few years to be approved, larger firms often patent many of the ideas they’re working on, just in case.
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