BMW’s teaser campaign for the upcoming XM SUV is well underway at the moment. The latest teaser, a video posted to the company’s US social media channels, heightens the excitement with a collection of sequential jump cuts, some whimsical images, and a heart-pounding soundtrack.
The BMW XM will debut on Tuesday, September 27, and the latest teaser doesn’t reveal much ahead of the model’s big day. The short video highlights the SUV’s illuminated grille and split-headlight design, which BMW has ridiculed before. The video also gives a glimpse of the XM and BMW badges.
We won’t see the final design of the model until it’s revealed, but we do have information about the powertrain. When the XM arrives, it will pack a plug-in hybrid setup paired with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter S68 V8. The new engine will produce 644 horsepower (485 kilowatts) and 650 pound-feet (884 Newton-meters) of torque in the SUV.
It has an estimated electric driving range of 30 miles (48 kilometers), and it could be called the XM 50e when it reaches showrooms, but nothing final. The powertrain will be paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox sourced from ZF.
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A higher output version is under development. When BMW first presented the XM as a concept, it had 750 hp (551 kW) of power and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque under the hood. That powertrain will arrive in a supposedly Black Label variant that debuts sometime next year, and it won’t be a Competition model.
A large SUV may seem like an odd vehicle for a BMW M to build, but it will have the technology and hardware to help reduce its sense of size and create an engaging driving experience. It will have an active anti-roll bar, and rear-wheel steering will help the driver maneuver the larger model. The interior of the XM remains a mystery, with the BMW iDrive8 infotainment system taking center stage with its dashboard-mounted display.
The BMW XM debuts next week, and we have to learn all the interesting details. The XM is the second vehicle the M brand has ever made and it won’t be around forever. Production of the XM will end in November 2027, and it’s unclear what will happen after that, if any.
