2023 BMW XM confirmed for September 27 unveiling

BMW M is preparing to unveil its first electrified vehicle.

The Bavarian automaker has confirmed the September 27 unveiling of its XM (PHEV) plug-in hybrid SUV in a short teaser video uploaded to its social media by BMW USA.

Titled “Get Ready for First Contact,” suggesting an alien theme, the video briefly shows the front of the XM with its illuminated kidney and split headlight design.

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There’s also a moment where you can hear the guttural V8 engine kicking in and revving up as the turbo blow-off valves come off.

The BMW XM is the first SUV designed from the ground up as an M model and will use a ‘newly developed’ V8 engine in combination with an electric motor with an output of 480 kW and a torque of 800 Nm.

As previously reported, this is 70kW and 200Nm less than what BMW claimed for the Concept XM.

BMWBlog speculates that a more powerful version of the XM, around 560kW, will be launched next year. It is also claimed that there could be an entry-level six-cylinder PHEV at some point.

BMW still claims that the XM has an electric range of up to 80 km, according to WLTP tests.

For the time being, the brand is keeping a low profile on details on the capacity of the high-voltage battery, the 0-100 km/h sprint time, the top speed and the efficiency values ​​of the XM.

The XM will feature a hybrid-specific M xDrive all-wheel drive system, which includes an electronic rear differential lock in the final drive.

The XM comes standard with M adaptive suspension and a bespoke M braking system, while alloy wheels will be available up to 23 inches in size.

For the first time in a BMW M vehicle, the XM will feature an electromechanical roll stabilization system powered by a 48-volt electrical system, as well as rear axle steering to aid low-speed cornering and high-speed driving stability.

Thanks in part to leaked patent images from the Japanese Patent Office shared on the BMW iX forums, the production BMW XM’s exterior design appears to be very similar to the Concept XM.

There are a few differences though, including more visible headlights, a streamlined front bumper area, traditional door handles, smoother fender flares and more conventional taillights.

Some of these changes from the Concept XM were leaked earlier this year through footage of a partially camouflaged production vehicle.

This spied BMW XM also featured unusual gold-colored trim around the grille and on the sides.

Inside the largely covered interior, the steering wheel, shifter and center console were seemingly identical to those of the concept vehicle, while the materials were finished in a deep aquamarine. BMW’s Curved Display appears to be in place.

It remains to be seen if the production model will adopt some of the concept’s more outlandish interior design cues; including the heavily sculpted, illuminated headliner, vintage-look brown leather interior up front, and quilted velvet upholstery in the rear.

Production of the BMW XM will begin in late 2022 at the BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Following the unveiling of the concept last November, a spokesman for BMW Australia said: “The BMW M brand and the BMW X range are of great importance to Australia – one in five BMWs sold here carries an M badge, and BMW X vehicles represent more than 60 percent of our brand’s total sales volume.

“In light of this, the BMW Concept XM is immediately attractive to our market. If the production model is made available to us, we will definitely offer it to our customers.”

The BMW XM isn’t the only PHEV performance SUV in the works, Lamborghini will unveil a plug-in hybrid Urus in 2024.

Porsche already has a hot PHEV version of its Cayenne called the Turbo S E-Hybrid, which uses a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with an electric motor and a 17.9-kWh lithium-ion battery and generates a total system power of 500 kW and 900 Nm.

This powertrain could find its way into the electrified Urus.

MORE: 2023 BMW XM patent filing leaked MORE: 2023 BMW XM spied