In honor of 50 years of BMW motorsport in 2023, the Bayerische revealed their XM concept which, as mentioned by BMW, carries design elements from the first BMW M-only car, the M1. Aside from the two illuminated BMW logos on the back and the fact that this will come only as an M model, there is pretty much nothing in common between the two, including here design - which seems as if there was nothing else but a ruler when designing this concept car back in Germany.
Unveiled as the most powerful BMW SUV, it sits above the X7, and it will be the largest SUV in the BMW lineup, offering third-row-seats, a plug-in-hybrid powertrain that brings 750 hp onboard, and largest-in-class front grills. Other design details make the XM stand out, in a way most people liked and disliked, let’s dive deeper into this new edgy PHEV.
This Looks Nothing Like The M1 Successor
Getting straight to where the whole project began, the BMW M1 - a hot coupe that gave Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the time a run for their money and a very successful motorsport beast for the time being. The XM however, is an SUV - and not just a mini SUV, but it’s the largest BMW ever made. As mentioned above, the design element, or better, the elements carried from the M1 is the dual BMW logo on the rear window. The rest is pretty much gone but whoever likes to call it a match, this will be the most powerful BMW by today and so was the M1 back at its time.
More into details, this new BMW features a new grille - which of course comes bigger with each new BMW. The front end gets tiny-petite headlights, and a cool detail by BMW is that they added LED lights on top of the windshield - and these will expect some serious light projection when active. The body gets a dual-tone color, which is separated by a strip of sharp black tone. This separates the color scheme as well as adds up to a contrasting design.
The rear gets no BMW logo on the hatch, but gets very long and thin LED taillights that go as far as the quarter panels. The rear bumper gets Quattro-pipped exhaust - which sit above each other, a very nice touch from BMW although this was seen on other coupes before. The side view of the XM brings a coupe-like style: it sits above the X7 in terms of cargo space, but it keeps that coupe styling rather than a big and heavy SUV.
Powertrain Is Where BMW Makes No Joke
The new XM will be one of the fastest plug-in-hybrids when it comes out. The German car maker put up a V8 with electric motors to produce massive power all over. The XM will carry a V8 twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter paired with electric motors and a battery pack to make an impressive 750 horsepower. There are no runtime numbers yet, but for comparison, the most powerful BMW M car by today, the M5 CS, makes 627 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque and does 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds. Add power, subtract weight, and we can expect the XM to perform about the same. This leaves the Lamborghini Urus and the German brother Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid down by 0.4 seconds and more rows to carry kids on the back. There will also be 30 miles of electric range, which will be rechargeable but we should also expect that number to change when it comes out on sale.
The Interior Remains Opulent Yet Very Similar To The Existing X SUV’s
A close look at the interior and we can still see the same design used as in the X6 and X7 of 2021 and 2022. Where BMW spiced up the interior is the interwoven copper thread around the center console and the lounge-like seats, the rest remains almost the same. The seats are made out of leather, presented in brown; they bring a vintage-look as to honor to the M1.
Modern digitally and traditional driver focus are nicely balanced by the new BMW Curved Display screen. M-specific red accents on the steering wheel and console emphasize the car's athleticism and motorsport spirit. The center console's heart is a trio of vertical elements in the three colors of the BMW M brand logo.
Fun Fact: The color combo of the M-Logo has a unique meaning. Blue stands for BMW, red for motorsport, and violet for the unique combination of the two.
A Final Take On The XM
This is still a concept by BMW as the final product has not been announced yet, however it was mentioned from BMW M insiders that about 70% of the design will remain to the final XM in 2023. Price is also not mentions by BMW, but it will hit the six-figure mark (as do the X6 and X7).
What we love though is the super edgy design, especially on the front where things are so sharp and thin, but overall this should be a very exciting SUV to keep an eye on, and it will definitely bring some contest in the three-row-seat SUV competition.