The BMW XM has never been a car designed to blend into the background. Its oversized proportions, unusual detailing and deliberately divisive styling have made it one of the most talked-about BMWs of recent years.
LARTE Design has now found another way to turn up the volume, although this time it isn’t simply about adding more carbon. The tuner has finished an XM almost entirely in Lunar Lilac, extending the colour across both the original bodywork and its extensive dry carbon fibre package.
Lunar Lilac Completely Changes The BMW XM
Dark colours have traditionally suited the XM’s menacing personality, but they also tend to hide some of the more complicated surfaces in its design.
Lunar Lilac does exactly the opposite.
The cool lavender metallic has a subtle blue undertone that highlights the XM’s bonnet, enlarged wheel arches, side profile and dramatic rear end. More importantly, LARTE has carried the colour onto the carbon components rather than leaving them with the usual exposed weave.
The inspiration reportedly came from customers themselves. After a similarly finished Lamborghini Urus attracted plenty of attention, XM owners began asking whether the same idea could be applied to BMW’s flagship M SUV.
This is the result.
Paint And Carbon Developed Together
Simply spraying carbon components to roughly match the body wasn’t the goal.
LARTE says the Lunar Lilac finish was developed using cured carbon samples, with individual components matched against the painted bodywork. The idea is to make the original panels and aftermarket pieces appear as one continuous design rather than a standard XM fitted with contrasting accessories.
There is still enough depth in the finish for the carbon weave to remain visible underneath the paint.
The colour stretches from the bonnet and front-end components through the wheel-arch extensions and along the sides before reaching the substantial rear diffuser.
Customers wanting to take the theme even further can also specify forged 23-inch wheels finished in the same Lunar Lilac shade.
17 Dry Carbon Fibre Components
Underneath the unusual finish is LARTE Design’s existing exterior programme for the BMW XM.
The package consists of 17 components manufactured from 100% dry carbon fibre with a Class-A surface finish.
Up front, the XM receives a replacement vented carbon bonnet complete with integrated water drainage. This is joined by a two-piece front splitter and redesigned carbon grille surround.
Further back are new side mouldings, sill covers and extended wheel arches that add more width to the already imposing SUV.
The rear receives some of the biggest changes, including a new diffuser, hexagonal carbon exhaust finishers and additional integrated brake lights. A lower tailgate element and upper spoiler with aerodynamic fins complete the transformation.
Importantly, installation doesn’t require cutting or drilling into the XM. The components use the vehicle’s existing factory mounting locations and have been designed to retain compatibility with its parking sensors and driver-assistance technology.
The package can be fitted to the BMW XM, XM Label and XM 50e.
M Hybrid Powertrain Remains Standard
Despite the extensive visual makeover, there are no mechanical changes underneath.
LARTE leaves BMW’s M Hybrid powertrain untouched, meaning the Lunar Lilac treatment is purely about changing the XM’s appearance and character.
It arguably works particularly well here. The lighter colour makes details that can disappear on darker examples far easier to see, especially around the bonnet, arches and rear diffuser.
Instead of trying to tone down the XM’s controversial shape, LARTE has leaned into it.
Bespoke Colour Is Becoming The Main Event
Unusual exterior colours are becoming increasingly important at the upper end of the car market. Owners are looking beyond the usual black, white and grey finishes towards colours that make an already expensive vehicle feel genuinely personal.
We’ve already seen this approach applied to everything from Lamborghini Urus builds to Mercedes-AMG G-Class models and high-end Porsche commissions.
For LARTE, this particular XM forms part of what it calls its Level 2 customisation programme. Rather than simply selecting a colour for an existing body kit, the finish is developed around both the vehicle’s painted surfaces and its carbon fibre components.
Whether Lunar Lilac makes the BMW XM more attractive will remain entirely subjective. What it certainly doesn’t do is make it easier to ignore.
