The BMW XM has never struggled to attract attention, although opinions on its design have been divided since day one. LARTE Design’s latest project takes a different approach to changing its character, ditching the idea of subtle tweaks in favour of giving the entire SUV a new visual identity.
This particular XM has been finished entirely in matte olive, with the painted bodywork and dry carbon fibre components colour-matched to create a single, uninterrupted exterior finish.
Rather than looking like a standard XM wearing an aftermarket body kit, the intention was to make the entire vehicle appear as though it had been designed this way from the outset.
Matte Olive From Bonnet To Diffuser
The standout feature isn’t necessarily any single component. It’s the consistency of the finish.
LARTE Design matched the matte olive paint to the cured dry carbon fibre pieces individually, allowing the different materials to blend together instead of creating the obvious contrast normally associated with a carbon body kit.
The colour extends across the bodywork, aerodynamic components and forged wheels, giving the XM a much cleaner and more cohesive appearance.
It’s an approach that forms part of LARTE Design’s Customisation Level 2 programme, where owners can go significantly further than simply selecting a different carbon finish or wheel design.
Full Dry Carbon Exterior Package
Underneath the olive finish is an extensive dry carbon fibre package that changes much of the XM’s exterior appearance.
LARTE has reworked the front and rear sections while adding wider fender extensions, revised side skirts and matching forged wheels. The various components have been designed around BMW’s original mounting locations, meaning installation doesn’t require cutting or drilling into the vehicle.
Importantly for something as technologically complicated as the XM, its parking sensors and driver assistance equipment remain operational after the conversion.
LARTE’s Customisation Level 2
This XM is another showcase for LARTE Design’s Customisation Level 2 programme.
Instead of working from a predetermined catalogue of colours and finishes, the programme allows the exterior components, materials and colours to be developed around a particular customer’s requirements.
A Very Different BMW XM
A conventional facelift can change headlights, bumpers and perhaps the grille, but the basic character of a car usually remains intact.
LARTE’s matte olive XM goes considerably further.
Whether it makes BMW’s controversial performance SUV more attractive will depend entirely on personal taste, but there’s no denying that the combination of the monochromatic finish, wider stance and extensive carbon fibre bodywork gives this particular XM an identity of its own.
Considering reports that the BMW XM could face an uncertain future, highly personalised examples like this could ultimately become some of the most distinctive versions of BMW M’s unusual flagship SUV.
