XM

Make
BMW
Segment
SUV

The BMW Concept XM will make production. That's for certain. Speaking to the newly reinstated M division chief, Frank van Meel, at a private media event during the Los Angeles Auto Show earlier this month, CarBuzz was told the concept you're looking at it is "around 90 percent production-ready."

Not much will be toned down styling-wise but we expect some interior details will change. What's for certain is that this SUV is not your ordinary SUV. Aimed specifically at the likes of the Lamborghini Urus, the XM is powered by the tried and true 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 found in the X5 M. Only this time it's connected to a plug-in hybrid system for a combined output of 750 horsepower and 737 lb-ft of torque.

For context, the X5 M spits out 600 hp and 553 lb-ft. The production-spec XM can also travel up to 30 miles on pure electricity. As the M division's first standalone model since the legendary M1 ceased production 40 years ago, something extra special was necessary. Only the best technology was considered. Interestingly, that didn't include a battery-specific powertrain setup.

"We never considered not using the V8," van Meel told us. "Why wouldn't we use it? It's the only engine capable of doing the power levels we wanted." Van Meel further made clear an EV was never on the agenda, at least for now.

"Eventually, everything will be battery-electric but we're not there yet because, right now, there's a lot of potential with the PHEV-V8 setup." What's also quite exciting is that this super SUV will be built right here in the US, specifically at the German automaker's massive Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, home to nearly all of BMW's hot-selling SUVs. The all-electric BMW iX, as a reminder, is assembled in Germany.

BMW didn't give us a specific price figure but we can guarantee the XM won't be cheap. Think of it this way: the Urus begins at over $207,000. Don't expect the XM to cost a penny less.