The BMW XM Concept definitely stirred up a lot of heated debates all around the world. It’s a controversial car for a number of reasons. From its design to what it stands for, the BMW XM will not only be the first bespoke M car developed by the Bavarian sub-brand, but also a first electric chapter for the company. Moving forward, the design of many luxury models will change, and, according to BMW M Boss, Frank van Meel (see our own interview with him), we’re bound to see a lot of its features on non-M cars too.
Speaking to Canadian magazine Driving, van Meel said that the BMW XM marks a an addition to the M brand, not necessarily a new direction in which the entire sub-division is heading. “It’s all about segments. We span from M2 to XM and every car has its own positioning. What we were missing was this expressive, top of the line product. Which is this,” he said. That’s not all though, as the XM is more than just a new positioning.
Referring to the design, van Meel said that the XM Concept was created to showcase the usage of new, innovative materials and solutions to various problems. “We’re defining new elements and new material that could be used, say in the M5 or other high-end vehicles. We will definitely see more and more illuminated kidney grills,” said the BMW M boss. That last bit will definitely stir up some more heated debates online.
It was the case the first time BMW introduced an illuminated set of kidneys on its cars, when the current BMW X6 was introduced. Over time, other models have followed. We expect to see the illuminated kidneys on the next generation 5 Series, and consequently on the new BMW M5 as well.
