In an interview in Bilbao, Peter Wolf, senior BMW vice president for large cars confirmed that the X4 occupies a unique niche in the market and has no competitors at the moment. However, he acknowledged that some competitors are working on similar concepts at the moment.

These are some highlights of the interview:

• When did BMW actually think of the X4?

• We were deeply impressed by the success of the X6 we decided to repeat the success in a smaller package with the X4.

• The X6 was never a great favorite of the media at the time of its launch…

• Nevertheless, it was a huge success and our competitors are looking into producing cars in this niche too. Sales of the X6 reached 250,000 vehicles.

• Do you see a trend towards compact SUVs?

• Yes of course. The segment works in Europe as well as in China and the US. We have concepts targeted at certain regions but the compact SUV concept is good around the world.

• Is it true that the X4 has no competitors at the moment?

• Yes. However, competitors are watching closely and we see Mercedes introducing a concept in Beijing along the lines of the X6.

• What is your expected production in 2014?

• I can’t tell you that but we expect to have another record year similar to 2013.

• Are there any niches left to explore?

• We are always tracking any niches and if we were able to sell cars at the right prices we would occupy that niche. At the moment we are preparing to launch our Compact Activity Tourer which will attract a new kind of customer. The new vehicle belongs to Series 2 segment and is similar to Mercedes B Class or VW Golf.