Yahoo Finance BMW Is Reportedly Resurrecting the 6 Series, Killing the XM
BMW's most controversial model, the XM, won't be around forever, according to a new report from Automotive News. Initially launched as a forward-looking benchmark for electrified SUV performance, the XM received its fair share of criticism from both design and driving standpoints — so perhaps it's not a great surprise that an inside supply chain source has told Automotive News the angular flagship model will sunset come 2028.
Specifically, BMW will allegedly cease production of the XM by November 2028, with no successor in the works. That indicates we'll presumably see the XM through the 2029 model year. Additionally, a supply chain analyst told Automotive News that BMW has canceled plans to build an all-electric version XM. This all-electric variant, reportedly code-named the G79, was supposedly set for production at BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina factory in late 2028.
Yet as one nameplate falls, another rises in BMW's lineup. Ditched in 2019, the Bavarians are bringing back the 6 Series for 2026, according to Automotive News. Allegedly, the revived 6 Series will be sold in coupe and convertible forms, be built on BMW's Cluster Architecture platform, and offer gasoline, gasoline-electric hybrid, and electric powertrains. Manufacturing will happen at BMW's Dingolfing, Germany factory, according to the report, with production volumes slated to be relatively small.
Speaking with a BMW retailer who wished to remain anonymous, Automotive News found that the U.S.-focused model will be aimed at more affluent buyers with a desire for grand touring levels of performance and comfort.
"Mainstream cars are popular, but we should have the niche cars as well," the unnamed dealer said to Automotive News. "BMW is trying to get in alignment on what customers are looking for."
While the re-entrance of the 6 Series is worth celebrating, it's also worth noting that it will enter the market as BMW nixes the internal-combustion 8 Series and 4 Series. With a focus on EVs making up half of BMW's brand sales by 2030, the German manufacturer is planning to push hybridization and electrification hard, killing off the 2018-revived 8er by 2026. The end of gasoline-powered 4 Series units will follow shortly after in 2028, with the electric 4 Series — a.k.a. the i4, presumably — carrying the torch.
With a new BMW M5 on the way and a focus on expanding its electrified reach, BMW isn't stagnating in the 21st Century, instead choosing to grow with it. While the end of XM production will be met with mixed reactions, a streamlined, new set of performance-oriented coupes and sedans — electrified or not — could be true to the BMW we've known and loved.
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