While some BMW fans might be disappointed by the departure of the former BMW M boss, Markus Flasch, he did leave us with plenty of interesting projects in a very detailed interview about his work. Between many interesting topics, we get to learn more about how the M3 Touring came to be and the challenges of getting a car approved for production. It was also Flasch who finally confirmed, on an official note, that a true standalone BMW M model is coming.
Talking with Auto Motor und Sport about it, Flasch simply came out and said it: “There will definitely be a standalone M model again”. He said, in that one sentence, what countless officials did not over the past few years, ever since we first caught wind of such a project. However, Flasch couldn’t go into more details about what kind of car we’re talking about here and stopped short of confirming it’s the upcoming BMW XM SUV.
“Motorsport and high-performance on the road are still the core of our brand. However, we also want to retain customers who are into expressive luxury. With the M8 and its derivatives, we have already succeeded in some cases, but there is a segment in which there is a lot going on and in which we are not yet represented. I can not say more about that,” he added.
The standalone model mentioned in the interview will be the XM SUV which will be unveiled in the shape of a concept on November 29. It may seem like a peculiar choice for BMW to make this unique project into an SUV, but the SUV market is one of the most profitable ones. Not just for BMW, but for most automakers.
When it arrives in 2023, the BMW XM will be the most powerful production series vehicle at BMW. The top model is rumored to feature a staggering 552 kW / 750 PS (740 hp). Two other PHEV XM models are part of the new XM family as well.
