The Borgward marque may only be familiar to those with an appreciation for classic cars, but that could change over the coming years.
Borgward has not built a car since 1961, but next year it will launch an all-new SUV in China called the BX7. European buyers will get a chance to buy one later on in 2016.
Under the bonnet of the BX7 will lurk a 221bhp 2.0-litre turbo-charged petrol unit, available with a dual clutch automatic gearbox. An all-wheel-drive option will also be on offer.
With petrol-sipping SUVs very much in favour among consumers, the 296bhp hybrid which Borgward is thought to be developing may be of great interest in the future. It will boast a 34-mile all-electric range, say reports.
The company, which designed the BX7 in its Chinese and German facilities, has yet to mention any diesel version.
Aside from some tarp- and masking-tape covered interior images obtained (perhaps unscrupulously) by a Chinese website, we don't know what the BX7 will look like on the inside. While remaining tight-lipped about the interior, Borgward says the BX7 will ‘change the way you think about the car’ – thanks to its advanced telematics systems.
Chinese consumers can buy a BX7 sometime next year.
Becoming a low-volume boutique luxury brand does not seem to be on Borgward’s agenda; the firm aims to sell 1.6 million cars a year by 2025.
The company says it aims to build cars that are ’luxurious, inventive and bold’.
Borgward was originally based in Bremen where it built Hansas, Goliaths and Lloyds – alongside Borgwards. The firm went bankrupt in 1961 but the grandson of founder Carl F. W. Borgward chose to revive the brand some years ago.