BMW will build the BMW X4, a smaller version of the X6, and BMW Australia says it is a good chance to join the local line-up in the future.

The four-door-coupe-styled SUV will be built in the US as part of a $900 million investment project that will expand the brand’s production facilities in Spartanburg.

BMW Australia’s Piers Scott admitted the local brand knew very little about the X4 at this stage, but said it was optimistic about its chances of introducing the all-new model.

“[The X4] looks good for our market, especially in light of the rapidly growing demand for BMW X models in Australia,” Scott said.

The X4 will join the BMW X-Series range as a smaller version of the popular flagship X6 SUV and will slot in above the X3 in terms of price and specification. It will feature a similar four-door layout and a sloping roofline towards the rear.

It’s unknown at this stage if it will feature four seats or five, but it will be based on the same platform as the BMW X3. Arndt said in a recent statement,

“This is in response to rising global demand for our BMW X models and the expansion of the BMW X family to include the BMW X4.”

Expect the new X4 to be powered by a range of four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines, as well as turbo-diesel and turbo-petrol six-cylinder engines for the higher spec variants.

The US investment spans the next three years and will create 300 new jobs, building BMW X3, X6 and X5 vehicles. BMW production chief Frank-Peter Arndt announced the plant will also build the new X4, which is expected to be launched sometime in 2013.