We had the opportunity to drive a BMW XM prototype earlier this year, but the automaker hid the design under a full-body camouflage wrap. This performance SUV is slated to enter production before the end of the year, but we are still waiting for its official debut, which could happen soon.
BMW has already teased the model on its consumer site, showing off elements of the SUV’s slim daylight headlights and an illuminated kidney grille. The single teaser image covers the rest of the XM in shadow, hiding the more subtle details of the SUV’s styling.
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The XM powertrain will be a plug-in hybrid powertrain that pairs an electric motor with the new 4.4-liter BMW S68 V8 twin-turbocharged engine. It will produce 644 horsepower (485 kilowatts) and 650 pound-feet (884 Newton-meters) of torque. The XM concept arrives with a 750-hp (551-kW) powertrain, and BMW will offer close to that in the XM Black Label that will launch after the regular XM. The hotter XM should produce around 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque.
BMW will pair the powertrain with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid setup should provide between 30-50 miles of all-electric range. BMW could even offer a less powerful entry-level version that puts a six-cylinder hybrid system under the hood. Assisting handling is rear axle steering, a first for an M product. It offers up to 2.5 degrees of steering and is only available under 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers per hour) or above 100 mph (160 kph). The 23-inch SUV wheels limit the SUV’s rear steering capability.
While BMW plans to start production before the end of the year, it won’t start showing up in showrooms until early 2023. We don’t know what BMW has planned for the XM lifecycle, but we do know that the automaker is planning to discontinue it. production in November 2027. It’s unclear what will replace it or whether there will be any replacements at all. BMW celebrates 50 years of the M performance division in 2022, and this is the second model ever produced by the brand.
