Alina Moore from our sister company topspeed.com reports on the new spy shots of the 2023 BMW XM. When introduced in 2021 BMW announced that production would start a few years later. Here we are a year later with spy shots of their creation. Alina tells us that BMW has been testing prototypes of the production version for a while now, but the new photos are the most revealing to date, showing a much more aggressive design.

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The Successor To The M1

topspeed.com BMW XM spy shot side view
via: topspeed.com 

The CEO of BMW's M division, Frank van Meel said this about the new XM, “when we did the M1, every car company wanted to say I have something special. They built a sports car – that was the segment everyone wanted to enter. If you look today at the biggest, most important, and fastest-growing segment, it's clearly the SUV segment.” Alina makes the connection that this means the M1 is a successor, in a way, to the M1 sports car from 1978.

topspeed.com BMW XM spy shot side view on track
via: topspeed.com 

Today's trends in the automotive world are to go electric. This is not the case for the BMW XM. Its focus is on a V8 engine which pairs with a newly developed M plug-in hybrid system. Alina tells us the entry model will have 644 hp and 650 ft-lbs of torque, while the competition model will have an increase of 750 hp and 737 ft-lb of torque. This means that it will be more powerful than the Aston Martin DBX 707 which is the most powerful SUV on the market today.

RELATED: Where The Wild-Looking 2023 BMW XM Will Sit On The SUV Ladder

Divine Designs, Fine Lines, So Sublime

topspeed.com BMW XM spy shot rear view
via: topspeed.com 

When it comes to the design, Alina confirms that the production version will follow the lines of the concept vehicle. The exterior is unlike any other vehicle on the BMW market at the moment, but the one element that carries over is the huge grille - probably the largest of any BMW.

The new spy shots also give us a great view of the headlights. They will be very similar to the concept version, which separates into two parts. The rear lights will also retain their very linear, simple design as seen in the concept. We can't wait to see how close the production version will be to the concept.