Just a week later, on May 24, BMW M GmbH will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The production-ready BMW XM crossover, which will be the first M-hybrid in history, is expected to be unveiled on that date. In the meantime, the company has published photos of the camouflaged prototype and the first portion of the characteristics.
To what the BMW XM will look like, we have already prepared last year concept snow. The newcomer is at least noticeably larger than the X5 / X6 models: it is more than five meters long (the exact parameter has not yet been published). The static weight distribution along the axes is close to ideal (50:50). The BMW XM will have adaptive coil spring suspension, plus it’s the first M car to feature active anti-roll bars (actuators powered by 48-volt power) and a fully steerable chassis. While the rear wheels turn modestly up to 2.5 degrees, huge wheels up to 23 inches in diameter no longer allow.
The BMW XM will be the first model to feature the new S68 engine, which is a further evolution of the V8 4.4 biturbo engine, adapted to work as part of a hybrid powertrain. The ZF eight-speed “automatic”, familiar to BMW, has also been improved: a traction electric motor has been installed instead of a torque converter.
However, the debut version of the M Hybrid system will not be as powerful as last year’s concept car. Recoil – 650 hp and 800 Nm, which is slightly more than the pure petrol models X5 M Competition and X6 M Competition (625 hp and 750 Nm). However, later the BMW XM will have an extreme version with parameters close to those declared for the 750 hp concept. and 1000 Nm. The prefix Competition is not allowed for such a crossover: marketers promise to come up with a new designation.
It is expected that the hybrid crossover weighing about 2.7 tons will be able to accelerate to 100 km / h in about 3.5 seconds. There is no data on the traction battery yet, but the range in electric mode reaches 80 km on the WLTP cycle. The rest of the parameters will be revealed during the debut. However, production of the BMW XM will only begin in December of this year, so these cars will enter the market only by the spring of 2023. The cars will be produced at the same plant in the USA where all BMW crossovers from X3 to X7 are made. Estimated price – about 130 thousand dollars.