I was driving along the other night and came behind a large BMW SUV with the name “NAUTIQUE” sprawled across the back end. Info on this particular model seems to be rather scarce-can someone help me out?
That’s not the model of the vehicle. BMW doesn’t use words as models. Nor do they ‘sprawl’ their models.
Someone bought a BMW X5 to tow their boat, and they want you to know that they have a boat.
Yeah, sounds like some kind of customization.
Most likely this is the answer.
I was think either that, or maybe it was a badge used in another country.
Maybe they think it’s a Veyron and plan to drive it into a swamp.
(Concur on the yupscale boat owner answer, though.)
Does anyone speak French? This looks like the model I saw the other day.
According to google translate, that’s an article about BMW showing off it’s green technology at a Paris boat show. “Salon nautique” = boat show, I guess.
Thanks. I guess I’ll stick with “personal touch-up” for now.
Google xlate:
BMW uses a numeric and alphanumeric naming convention, with certain exceptions (e.g., the Gran Turismo variants of the 3 and 5 series). BMW USA’s website does not list “Nautique” as a variant of any model. As an enthusiast who follows automobile industry news, I’ve also never heard of such a name being used in a production or concept BMW model internationally.
It would be unusual to give that name to the car or SUV…
If you call a car a boat, it means it has boat characteristics eg it leans over on corners and/or won’t steer straight /steady.
They probably own a Ski Nautique and just can’t bear the thought of anyone not knowing about it.
Their boat probably has a BMW sticker on it too.
The only time I can recall seeing words on the back of a BMW where a model name might go is for the BMW tuners like Alpina and Dinan. Alpina works collaboratively with BMW to produce factory-made cars, and Dinan works with authorized dealers. So if you see those words on the rear deck, they’re legit, and they’re probably pretty fast!
There are also some other exceptions like the “Touring”, “Coupe” and “Roadster” designations. They haven’t given a car a proper name since the 1970s, though, and they don’t name their trim levels (which is what Nautique would most likely refer to if anything.)
Did they actually use any names before the 70’s though? I thought they’ve pretty much always used numbers (with one exception,) they just adopted the current numerological scheme in the 70’s.
Well, there was the Wartburg roadster in the 30s (40s?)