BMW has offered many performance-focused 7 Series variants over the years. Some examples include the Alpina B7 and the V12-powered M760i, which was recently discontinued. We know the future of BMW performance is electrified, not a massive twelve-cylinder sitting under the hood. In fact, the shift towards electrification may finally help deliver a BMW M model that we've been requesting for years, the M7.

Despite offering many fast 7 Series variants, BMW has never created a fully-fledged M variant of its flagship luxury saloon. According to a new report from Autocar, the long-rumored M7 may finally arrive sporting a high-performance plug-in hybrid drivetrain. And we think we have a pretty good idea of where the drivetrain will come from.

The rumored M7 would likely share the same twin-turbo V8 and hybrid system from the XM Concept, which produces 750 horsepower and 737 lb-ft of torque. That's around 150 more horsepower than either the B7 or M760i ever had, and those cars could hit 60 mph in the low three-second range.

Such an insane output would make this PHEV 7 Series worthy of its M badge. Mercedes is also working on a PHEV-powered AMG S-Class that could produce as much as 800 horsepower. It sounds like the performance flagship sedan battle is heating up.

Alongside the gas-powered 2023 BMW 7 Series, the 2023 BMW i7 will also spawn a sporty variant, though not a full M model. The i7 is expected to arrive with an M60 variant producing 611bhp and 811 lb-ft of torque, yielding a sub-four-second 0-60 mph time. This all-electric model will compete directly with the Mercedes-AMG EQS, which produces 649 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque (751 hp and 752 lb-ft in Race Start mode). Though these two will likely be the quickest and most powerful 7 Series variants of all time, Mercedes will hold the power advantage in the electrified age.