![\"BMW](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/12\/01\/PDTN\/a7e9cb44-86d5-40ec-950f-c88248c1c159-BMW-XM_fr3-4.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
<\/p>\nThe 750-horsepower BMW XM debuted this week with supersized power, body stampings, and twin-kidney grilles that can be seen from space. BMW called the x-otically designed XM a concept car, but it is likely close to finis form as it will go into production at the automaker’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, assembly pant in just 12 months.<\/p>\n
In keeping with the changing times, XM took its bow at the international Art Basel show’s Miami Beach exhibition as automakers look for new ways to debut their wares beyond the traditional auto show. The XM was unveiled with a special musical performance by Grammy-wining hip hop artist Nas beside\u00a0a sculpture crafted for the occasion by Brooklyn-based artist Kennedy Yanko.<\/p>\n
\u201cArt Basel in Miami Beach is the perfect moment to launch the BMW Concept XM, a product unlike anything we\u2019ve ever produced,\u201d said BMW North America marketing boss Uwe Dreher. \u201cThis unique concept vehicle is matched perfectly to the expressive artwork from our partner artists, underscoring BMW Group\u2019s commitment to supporting culture and the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n
BMW wowed the auto world in 1978\u00a0with the Italian-designed M1, a mid-engine cyborg that opened BMW\u2019s M performance era. The M1 was produced in limited numbers \u2014 just 453 units were built in order to homologate it for international racing \u2014 but it fathered the German maker’s signature performance\u00a0badge. So successful has M division\u00a0become that it inspired similar product strategies from competitors\u00a0like Cadillac (V-series badge), Mercedes (AMG)\u00a0and Audi (S-line).<\/p>\n
Generations\u00a0of steroid-fed, M-badged hellions\u00a0have followed, with the M3 and M4 performance cars the most iconic. But as the world has flipped for four-wheel-drive SUVs, BMW has found a vast new market for M-badged utes despite their\u00a0inherently inferior handling compared\u00a0with low-slung sedans \u2014 much less mid-engine supercars.<\/p>\n
So for Bimmer\u2019s 50th, the XM super-SUV popped out of the birthday cake.<\/p>\n
The XM also introduces the M-badge\u2019s first plug-in hybrid drivetrain \u2014 marrying the capabilities of battery power with the brand’s traditional, twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 gas engine. The XM can cruise silently on battery power for up to 30 miles \u2014 or you can stomp your right lead foot and rocket out of stoplights with 737 pound-feet of combined gas-electric torque. The XM out-guns other super-utes like the Lamborghini Urus (641 horsepower), Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat (710) and Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid (670).<\/p>\n
Unlike M-badged sedans, however, it\u2019s unlikely to be seen at track days.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe BMW Concept XM represents a complete re-imagining of the high-performance vehicle segment,\u201d said M division chief Franciscus van Meel. \u201cIt underlines the ability of BMW M to break with established conventions, and . . . also shows how we are approaching the step-by-step electrification of our brand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The BMW brand has been challenged by EV maker Tesla. The U.S.-based automaker’s Model 3 outsold all other luxury models in 2020 \u2014 its 206,500 unit sales beating BMW\u2019s X3 by more than 3:1.<\/p>\n The XM \u2014 with a similar wheelbase to BMW’s largest SUV, the X7\u00a0\u2014 wraps its performance in\u00a0one\u00a0of the most angular SUV\u00a0designs this side of a Lamborghini\u00a0Urus.<\/p>\n The huge, oxygonal front kidneys\u00a0\u2014 filed with horizontal slats\u00a0\u2014 set the tone for a bold design dominated by polygonal shapes on the exterior and interior. Headlights and taillights are reduced to spare strips, while pentagon wheel wells (sitting atop enormous, 23-inch wheels), square exhaust pipes, hexagonal air\u00a0vents \u2014 even hexagonal seat headrest cutouts \u2014 define the styling. Breaking up the polygons are twin BMW roundel logos on the rear glass commemorating the original M1 supercar.<\/p>\n A two-tone paint scheme finishes the upper body\u00a0in matte gold-bronze \u2014 the lower torso in Space Grey Metallic. A high-gloss black boundary \u2014 dubbed \u201cblack belt\u201d \u2014 separates the two colors.<\/p>\n Underneath the narrow greenhouse is an all-digital cockpit wrapped in upscale leather, copper and carbon fiber.<\/p>\n A curved display screen dominates the dash, stretching from behind the steering wheel\u00a0over the center\u00a0console. The system is operated by BMW\u2019s familiar\u00a0remote i-Drive controller. Behind the driver-focused cockpit are rear \u201cM Lounge\u201d seats secluded by black-tinted windows and decorated with \u201cdeep aquamarine shade Petrol,\u201d in contrast to the front brown leather.<\/p>\n The headliner is decorated with an artistic three-dimensional prism structure \u2014 echoing the Art Basel gallery displays nearby. The new SUV will be on display all week at Miami\u2019s convention center.<\/p>\n Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The auto market is wacky these days. The popular Dodge Hellcat is being axed, automakers are converting their fleets to electric vehicles with limited demand, and Ford\u2019s entry-level vehicle is a pickup truck. Not to be outdone, BMW\u2019s M performance division is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an electrified super-ute. The division\u2019s second\u00a0standalone\u00a0M-vehicle, the BMW […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28386"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28386"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28387,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28386\/revisions\/28387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/12\/01\/PDTN\/3fdf39c3-f050-437e-8cd9-bf7a22190fc8-BMW-XM_road.jpg?width=660&height=435&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
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