738-HP BMW XM Label Red Goes Official With 738 HP, Is Out for DBX707 Blood

When the Bentley Bentayga kicked off the fight in the stratosphere of mega-costly SUVs, everyone knew it was just a matter of time before its former sibling, now turned rival at Rolls-Royce, would have a proper response. That came forth as the ritzier and even more outrageous Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Of course, the automotive world was never the same – especially if you ask the aftermarket realm that has basically crowned it as the king of the hills.

Naturally, the competition did not sit idle, and now there is also stuff like the Aston Martin DBX707 and upcoming rivals such as the 715-hp, V12-powered coach-door Ferrari Purosangue. Plus, no one should forget about the performance athlete of the sector – aka Lamborghini's Urus, now produced in enhanced 657-hp versions like the Urus S and Urus Performante. Rolls' parent BMW Group certainly has not overlooked the jeopardy and decided to give its M GmbH division access to its second-only dedicated vehicle after the M1 of the late 1970s.

Given the company's recent design trend, we are still determining if traditional BMW fans were idle. Instead, we bet some of them started running amok, crying their outrage at the sight of the XM plug-in hybrid full-size luxury crossover SUV. The initial unveiling of the 2023 BMW XM took place last fall, and already the 644-horsepower version is on sale with a starting MSRP of no less than $159k in the United States. Of course, everyone remembers that a flagship version, dubbed XM Label Red, was also announced during the introductory event, and not long ago, the waiting list was opened to interested parties.

Now, finally, BMW has geared up for the official public presentation, which is set to take place at the Auto Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition. The international motor show is scheduled for April 20-27, but production of the XM Label Red will take place a little later, from August this year, at the BMW Group Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina. Unfortunately, while BMW spilled the detail beans, the exact pricing information is one central element coming later.

Of course, BMW first needs to glitter about what is labeled as "simply the most powerful BMW M road vehicle ever made" thanks to its M Hybrid system that mates a 4.4-liter V8 packing 577 hp and (553 lb-ft/750 Nm) with an electric motor generating an additional 194 hp and 206 lb-ft (279 Nm) of torque. The blended mix produces exactly 738 hp and 738 lb-ft (1,001 Nm), with all the oomph sent to the wheels through the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system.

Regarding performance, the sprint to 60 mph (96 kph) lasts just 3.7 seconds when at full throttle toward the 155 mph (249 kph) limited top speed. Still, with the optional M Driver's Package, the XM Label Red can hit up to 175 mph (282 kph) if extra speed is your thing. If not, maybe the electric range is, with the 19.2 kWh battery pack that is big enough to give the behemoth around 30 zero-emissions miles – about 48 kilometers. Charging, meanwhile, establishes no new records, given the AC input at just 7.4 kW - a full recharge will last no less than 3.25 hours.