2023 BMW XM Rendering Imagines The Production-Ready Hybrid SUV

We’re usually disappointed when a concept makes the transition to the production model, but in the case of the BMW XM, we have a feeling we’ll like the road-going vehicle more than the showcar. A bit less striking than the Concept XM unveiled last month, the unofficial rendering from Kolesa imagines what buyers will be able to find from late 2022 at their local BMW dealers.

Don’t expect any major changes from the production model since the Bavarian marque has already announced the final car will retain about 90 percent of the concept’s styling. The remaining 10 percent have been speculatively implemented in this third-party rendering to show the plug-in hybrid SUV with regular door handles and a less aggressive front bumper.

The front design with the split headlights is certainly daring, and yet we find the rear more controversial due to its ultra-wide taillights and the stacked exhaust tips featuring an angular design. The concept’s two-tone wheels have been largely kept, but instead of the large “BMW” lettering, the center caps now contain the usual roundel.

The sharp side mirror caps of the Concept XM have made way for a more conventional M-specific set, while the blacked-out upper character line has been removed. The same goes for the dark decal on the side skirts, which now have a metallic/chrome insert in the same vein as the shiny areas of the wheels. As it’s pictured here, we would take the XM over the concept car before it, and we’d argue it would look less radical with bigger taillights and with regular quad exhausts.

As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One thing is certain – the 2023 XM will become BMW’s most powerful production car by packing a plug-in hybrid setup with a V8 and an electric motor producing around 750 horsepower.  In the meantime, the M5 CS holds the power crown with its meaty 626 hp without any hybrid assistance.

The second dedicated M model after the iconic mid-engined M1 will go into production late next year at the Spartanburg factory in South Carolina where BMW is making the X3 through X7 SUVs along with their M counterparts.