Yahoo Finance The BMW Concept XM Is Uncharted Territory
Back in the late 1970s, a deal between BMW and Lamborghini fell apart late into an agreement to produce a car together. When the deal collapsed, BMW and its other Italian partners handed the project over to its young Motorsports division. For the past 45 years, the truly stellar M1 stood alone; BMW didn't entrust any other car solely to M. Today, that changes in the strangest way you could possibly imagine.
This is the BMW Concept XM, a preview of a plug-in hybrid SUV from BMW's M division set to go into full, actual production next year. It has all of the exciting numbers you would expect from a car designed for and by BMW's M division, but it might be hard to look past the, well, look.
The Concept XM is fated to be among the most divisive cars ever. Previous top-end SUVs from performance brands, like the Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX, have attempted to weave elements of their brand's styling cues into an SUV that resembles a more traditional performance car. BMW has gone the other way entirely, instead using the Concept XM as an opportunity to showcase both its most extreme existing design concepts and its most ambitious future plans into one singular rolling laboratory, a monument to the number of features a single car's exterior can hold. Every kind of angle you can imagine is present, creating a front, back, and side view that are all separately unmistakable from every SUV that has ever come before.
While most cars that take serious design risks will try to limit themselves to just one or two and use them as highlights, BMW has taken an all-highlight approach. The kidney grilles are not necessarily larger than the X7's massive visage, but blends the M3 and M4's pop-out nostril concept in to create something more aggressive. The rest of the front end design is what BMW calls "a preview of the new front end design for BMW’s forthcoming luxury-class models," a threatening face highlighted by narrow running lights boasting LEDs and a low-hanging, jaw-like blend of angles. The headlights are below, like a Jeep Cherokee. The company hopes the new daytime running light pattern can become as distinctive as its current setup; for a car like this, "distinctive" should be no problem.
The side view is no less in-your-face. A high beltline that narrows as it goes is highlighted by a black accent piece, which creates the traditional Hofmeister Kink in a silhouette rather than directly on the final window. The final pillar is truly massive, itself highlighted by a separate two-toned scheme. The fenders are boxy, with body cladding providing a third off-color accent in the same view. It all culminates in the side view of a unique tail light more visible in daytime from the sides than the back, leading directly down to interesting angles on the rear bumper that mirror the new shape of the front bumper.
At the back, the taillight is revealed to be part of a slim LED treatment that cuts a curving line through all but the middle of the unusually high decklid. Stacked quad exhaust pipes are built into a sports car-like diffuser. The rear glass has two peaks created by an air channel in the middle of the roof and highlighted by roundels on either corner.
And, yet, all of this is arguably more conservative than what is happening inside. The front and rear seats are pulling for two completely different design goals. The front is designed to evoke the driver-first ergonomics and look of BMWs of the past. That means dark brown leather along with carbon fiber and copper trim wrapping the entire front third of the interior, including a uniquely-shaped transmission tunnel that seems to dedicate as much of the cabin as possible to the driver. A wide curved display over that entire section provides as much information as possible.
Then, in the rear seat compartment, just about nothing carries over. Natural-shade leathers are replaced by diamond-quilted velvet in a bright blue. Deep pile carpets are another shade and quilting pattern, while upper sections with headrests are a dark blue leather. The roof is lined in a three-dimensional polygonal pattern that reflects the futuristic exterior. Together, all of these elements create an outlandish space that BMW calls the M Lounge.
All of that is built on a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) platform paired with BMW's existing V-8. Those systems combine to produce a maximum of 750 horsepower and 737 lb-ft of torque.
The Concept XM previews the production model scheduled to go into production next year. That means it reflects the core design of an actual car you will be able to buy in the immediate future. With a year left to actually reveal a production variant, there is far too much to backtrack on for the final XM to be anything resembling an ordinary car. This will be a flagship, one that represents the future of both the M lineup and the entirety of BMW's crossover and SUV lineup.
BMW has found a way to pack as many design concepts as it could imagine into one car, all while positioning that car as a true M product designed for performance. That car also happens to be a full-sized SUV. Given how good BMW is at making luxury SUVs, and how good BMW's M division is at making performance cars, there is a real chance that this is a genuine home run. It needs to be, because this is one of the biggest swings a manufacturer has ever taken.
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