BMW doesn’t have high hopes for the XM to be a strong seller in Europe as it projects half of the demand will come from the United States and China. The Middle East is estimated to be the SUV’s third best-selling market with 8% of the volume, followed by South Korea and Germany, each with 7%. With a starting price of €181,500 in Italy, it’s safe to say the dedicated M model won’t be a popular vehicle on the streets of the country shaped like a shoe.
The polarizing addition to the already vast “X” lineup posed for the camera in lovely Italian scenery while flaunting an unusual finish. Painted in Cape York Green with gold accents, the heaviest production BMW to date had the stately 23-inch wheels – the largest ever fitted to a production car by the German luxury brand. While the images depict the regular XM, the portfolio has already been expanded in both directions with an entry-level 50e and a range-topping Label Red.
In the first quarter of the year, BMW sold 434 units. That might not sound like much, but deliveries started later during springtime and the SUV wasn’t fully available all over the world in Q1 2023. It’s facing some strong internal competition coming from the recently facelifted X5 M and X6 M, both of which share the same “S68” twin-turbo V8 but without the plug-in hybrid hardware. The specs sheet says the XM isn’t any faster and yet it costs more, but BMW is confident the vehicle’s bold appearance will convince some people to pay the premium.
It certainly looks the part, especially in this combination. The design itself is unconventional to set the XM apart from the X5 M and X6 M, although the interior cabin is more of the same. It should be mentioned the XM has the same wheelbase as the X7 but comes exclusively with two-row seating. In addition, it’s only sold as a PHEV with a choice of six- and eight-cylinder gasoline engines.
The striking design won’t trickle down to the 5 Series debuting later this month, but the electrified setup will be used by next year’s M5, coming in both sedan and wagon flavors.
Source: BMW
