It is no secret that the team from the BMW M division is working on a bespoke high-performance car for 2022 but which model is it to be exact?
Sources suggest it will be the long-awaited X8 M but new rumours suggest it will simple be called XM. It’s not only going to be the first bespoke M model but also the first electrified proper M car and the most powerful BMW ever made.
The design is a bit of a mystery at this point but some recent spy shots have allowed the digital artists to design the car. One thing that stands out immediately is the layout of the famous double twin exhaust pipes. Like all M cars, the BMW XM gets quad exhausts but it’s how they’re placed in the rear bumper that’s unique.
Not only are they hexagon-shaped, but they are also vertically stacked which is something very new for BMW.
The overall body shape will be closer to the X7 than the X6 so you can bet the car will be very spacious and of course very expensive.
Rumours suggest there will be two models with different levels of power just like the non-Competition and Competition models. The ‘entry-level’ XM is said to get the 617 hp (460 kW) we are used to with the X5 M and X6 M Competiton models but the range-topper will apparently become the first electrified full M model in history. It is rumoured to pack a hybrid powertrain combining a V8 petrol engine and an electric unit that together will raise the peak output up to a staggering 738 hp (550 kW).
When will we see this, no one can be exactly sure but we may see some form of concept at this years Munich Auto Show.
