Heads up! The BMW XM could have illuminated kidney grilles

A few days ago we told you that the Bavarian brand and its performance division planned to present their new concept called the BMW XM on 29 November. Not content with that, the Munich-based team has just published on the official BMW M Facebook profile a somewhat dark teaser image in which the name of the concept has been confirmed. It came as no surprise to anyone, as rumours had said it would be called BMW XM.

The published teaser image is a sketch, but it has revealed that the kidney grilles will be quite large and will be illuminated. This new grille will be positioned, as usual, between the two LED light units. It is also suspected that the lamps that will light these kidney grilles could be hidden in the bumper. Likewise, there are also LEDs mounted on the roof. This will be a novelty from the Bavarian house that could win over more than one driver.

BMW XM, everything we know about the new German concept

In addition, the bumper features a distinctive design, as it recalls other models from the BMW M performance division, but it includes small air intakes, since the kidney grilles are probably more than sufficient to cool any type of engine. In the text accompanying the image, BMW states that this concept is “the most expressive statement in almost 50 years of BMW M“, “a unique X for the M brand”. These claims suggest that the new BMW XM is a preview of the next standalone model from BMW M, something confirmed by Markus Flasch, former CEO of BMW M.

The new XM could become the flagship SUV of the BMW M range. Since it will be a unique model worthy of admiration, we expected the most striking aspect of the SUV to be its power, but the teaser suggests it previews the “new front design of BMW’s luxury class”. The camouflaged prototypes of the concept are already being put through their paces.

It is as large as the BMW X7 but offers a much sportier design. Besides mentioning the electrified powertrain, BMW M has not revealed any performance figures, but it is rumoured that the Concept XM previews the most powerful production vehicle from BMW. The plug-in hybrid powertrain is expected to combine a twin-turbo V8 engine with an electric motor delivering more than 750 CV. The production model may be unveiled in 2023, as the concept is very close to production.