The BMW XM Is A 750hp Hybrid SUV Coming In 2022

BMW is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its M performance car division. And to mark the occasion, instead of showing off retro reincarnations of icons like the M1 or E30 M3, the company has revealed a super-SUV called the Concept XM.

To be available exclusively as an M car – and the first to be offered as such since the M1 sports car of 1978 – the Concept XM will also be the first electrified car from BMW’s M division.

It is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine attached to a hybrid system and producing a total output of 750 horsepower and 737 lb-ft of torque. Sitting at the top of the BMW range, the car is expected to go up against other high-performance SUVs, like the Range Rover Sport SVR, Jaguar F-Pace SVR, Audi RS Q8 and the – deep breath, everyone – Porsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo SE-Hybrid.

The sharp-suited SUV was revealed at Art Basel’s 2021 Miami Beach show this week, and although a concept for now, is to go into series production by the end of 2022, albeit likely with toned-down styling. On that note, BMW says how the XM Concept “provides a first glimpse of the new front-end design for BMW’s forthcoming luxury-class models.” It looks like that grille isn’t shrinking again any time soon.

BMW claims the production version of the XM will have an all-electric range of 80km (50 miles) but has offered few other performance details for now. The car has a single electric motor, expected to provide power to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It is a powertrain that will likely be used by other upcoming M cars, including replacements to the current M5, M8, X5 M and X6 M.

The XM could be considered a flagship vehicle in BMW’s range, sitting above the X7 and acting as the de facto X8, but BMW says it is an entirely unique offering. To that end, the car gets a bespoke drivetrain and associated technology. 

BMW expects the US to be the biggest market for the XM, and the car will be made from 2022 in the company’s Spartanburg, South Carolina factory. 

Inside, the interior of the XM features brown, “vintage-look” leather, plus copper and carbon fiber detailing that BMW says “create a bridge between luxury and motor sport.” The dashboard features the same large, curved digital display as featured in the company’s iX electric SUV, along with the familiar gear selector and iDrive controller seen in today’s BMWs.

BMW describes the rear seats as “lounge-like”, in deliberate contrast to the sportier front portion of the cabin. The seats are finished in a color shade BMW calls Petrol, and the rear seat bench features deep recesses, in a bid to act more like a couch than a pair of individual seats.

The XM is due to go into production in late-2022, but BMW is yet to say how much it will cost.