Double shock: The most powerful car from BMW’s M is going to be an electrified SUV, a petrol-electric hybrid with a V8 biturbo engine – and at least 750hp

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Munich, Germany – The electric car thing may be going forwards at full chat, but BMW aims to show that a big bore V8 engine still has a place in the future with its first plug-in hybrid super SUV, the BMW XM. Its hybrid V8 engine packs 750 horsepower, and while the car is still only a concept, there’s little doubt that a series production version will be rolling along soon enough.  

It’s the first-ever plug-in hybrid M car to come from the German brand’s high performance division, meaning that there will be no non-M version of the XM. It’s roughly the size of a BMW X7 (which will likely form the engineering basis) and styled with a lot of sharp creases. Even the arches surrounding the XM’s 23-inch wheels are formed from a collection of straight edges.

Hot on the heels of the BMW M3 and M4’s controversial front ends, the XM also debuts a new front grille style for BMW, highlighted by a pair of LED rings that we are not sure will make it to the series production version.

The triangular headlights to each side of the front grille are actually the XM’s daytime running lights. The main lights are hidden behind a piece of translucent plastic. This design is expected to make it to the next-gen BMW 7 Series too. 

The concept’s two-tone paint scheme has the potential to make it into the production car, likely as an added cost option.

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Now-trending is also BMW’s penchant for trying to hide the door handles and making a big fuss of it. The new 4 Series Gran Coupe got a big shout-out for making the door handles flush to the body, and now the XM concept hides them in a black strip that runs the length of the BMW XM’s sides.

But seriously, flush door handles are nothing new. The Honda Civic had them in 1983, amongst others. 

The back of the XM gets stacked exhaust pipes to make it clear that this isn’t an all-electric vehicle.

The BMW XM concept’s powertrain is likely to be a preview of the production version. BMW claims that it has a twin-turbocharged V8 engine and an electric motor that will produce a total of 750hp and  a maximum torque of 1000Nm.

We’re guessing that this is the basic engine block from the current M5 sedan. Still that’s more power than almost any other SUV-type car currently in production, including the Lamborghini Urus.

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BMW has confirmed that the XM will have an electric-only range of around 80km, but why have a V8 engine and not let it stretch its legs?

Inside the BMW XM, new tech and traditional materials combine to give a uniquely BMW touch.The curved infotainment touchscreen with M-exclusive graphics and the carbon-fibre dashboard with strands of copper woven throughout, along with backlit central air vents in the shape of the BMW M logo look very futuristic. Yet the leather of the seats on the concept have a very retro vibe to them.  The XM is strictly a five-seater, unlike the X7 which can seat seven. 

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BMW has confirmed a production version of the XM will be made starting in late 2022 at the brand’s South Carolina factory in the USA, so you’ll probably get to see the finished XM sometime in the first half of 2023.

There are no guarantees on how much it’s going to cost in Singapore, but we estimate that it’ll be a step above the 8 Series and X7. 

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