We can now safely say we’ve seen it all in the BMW realm. After the XM covered in velvet, here comes the plug-in hybrid SUV with a full Alcantara treatment. Not just on the inside, but for the body, too. That’s right – the dedicated M model has had its stately body covered with the suede-like material. It’s a synthetic textile produced by the Italian company Alcantara.
Alcantara is composed of around 68% polyester and 32% polyurethane and fully covers the XM, all 201.2 inches of it. We’ll remind you the electrified SUV is 78.9 inches wide and 69.1 inches tall, so you can imagine a lot of material was used to wrap the luxobarge. The unique “Sky is the limit” project represents a joint effort between BMW Italy and the Alcantara company.
The interior is equally striking since it adopts a contrasting two-tone theme with an asymmetric design. Notice how the front door cards are not the same since the one on the passenger side is all white. The bottom section of the driver’s door is black to match the center console, front seats, and steering wheel. Alcantara was used just about everywhere, complete with M-colored stitching and the Italian flag motif.
As if the interior wasn’t eye-catching enough, hundreds of triangles have been plastered all over the cabin. The geometric shape does make sense on the roof given the XM’s sculptural headliner with a 3D-esque prism structure. Some parts of the interior received laser perforations to obtain a special effect you won’t find in the standard model.
Is this XM a bit over the top? It certainly is but that’s the point. It’s not meant to be sold by BMW. It’s more along the lines of a creative project that shows what can happen when BMW and Alcantara work together. We certainly wouldn’t park the vehicle outside on a cloudy day but it does look interesting in these studio shots.
Source: BMW
