The BMW XM will soon become the Bavarian company’s new flagship SUV model when it arrives later this year. A recently published patent filing with the Japanese Patent Office shows the XM design in full detail and new renderings worn on the production garment on the box body. These images are from our colleagues at Kolesa.ru and depict a performance family carrier with a silver finish
The final design doesn’t look too surprising as it remains very similar to the XM Concept that was revealed in November last year. However, there are some notable changes especially at the front, where the headlights will receive a more angular shape and the bumper will be less dramatic. Whereas the concept vehicle has a closed lower fascia under the kidney grille, the production model will feature a large radar surrounded by two parking sensors in the same area.
At the rear, it appears that the overall layout will remain unmodified but there will be adjustments to the taillights, which will not extend to the rear fenders. Also, the bumper diffuser won’t look so radical but the quad exhaust setup will likely stick around. The same can be said about the roof spoiler and flat rear hatch.
Preliminary information suggests the production XM will be powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a peak output of 644 horsepower (495 kilowatts) and 650 pound-feet (884 Newton-meters) of torque. Reportedly, BMW is also working on a more powerful XM Black Label model with an output that matches the XM Concept number. If this turns out to be true, the flagship SUV will have around 740 hp (551 kW) and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque.
The XM debut is scheduled for later this year and we expect this performance SUV to hit the US market during the first or second quarter of next year. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, although we suggest the base model will start at around $130,000, while the peak-range could go as high as $150,000 or more.
