The prototype BMW XM, with its angularity, large double kidney and true ‘M’ performance thanks to the 740 horsepower 4.4-liter V8 petrol engine and plug-in hybrid configuration, it is more than just a concept. If BMW were to land on its production, the presented suv may already be very close to the final configuration.
Frank Van Meel, new CEO of the BMW M GmbH division, told the British magazine Autocar that the model could still change, but the general framework is already there to be seen. “More than 90% of the car can be considered close to the production version. But there can be many changes in various details. To give a simple example, the dark license plate cannot be homologated as it is. And many other elements can be approached differently. The feedback from our customers is easy to say: they love our cars but they want a more expressive luxury. In the case of the XM this is exactly what we have tried to achieve, and this will be the figure of the future of the M division“.
In a period of one hundred percent electrical concepts, the choice of a plug-in hybrid configuration is surprising. “We said we would go electric by the end of the decade with all of our models. We have already made i4 and iX with the M Performance division, and now we also have this first high-performance hybrid car. Customers are still asking a lot for the V8, so we don’t want to lose sight of them. Electrifying it, we can keep it on the market for a while longer. Furthermore, there are many markets where it is not possible to offer only electric cars. We would have to wait a little longer in this sense. Our biggest market is the United States, and the V8 is really in high demand there, there is a lot of demand. We follow the requests of our audience. Going hybrid with the V8 is a big step, but customers expected it“Said Van Meel
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