BMW PHEV is Most Powerful M Badged Car
BMW is promising the most powerful M series car yet with its plug-in hybrid BMW Concept XM unveiled this week at Art Basel’s 2021 Miami Beach show.
The concept, due to enter series production as the BMW XM by the end of 2022, will be built at the automaker’s at Spartanburg in the US, considered the most important sales market for the new high-performance car. This will be the first standalone M vehicle since the BMW M1 in the year it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Few specific details of the newly developed M Hybrid drive system have been yet released except that it brings together a V8 gasoline engine and a high-performance electric motor to develop maximum output of 745bhp and peak torque of 737ft-lbs. Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M, said: “The BMW Concept XM represents a complete re-imagining of the high-performance car segment. It underlines the ability of BMW M to break with established conventions and push boundaries in order to offer fans of the brand the ultimate driving experience. The series-production car… also shows how we are approaching the step-by-step electrification of our brand.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
