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BMW XM Production Version Rendering Puts Lipstick on a Pig

BMW’s designers don’t give a flying hoot about what people think, hence the bucktooth grille adopted by several new products, including the M3 and M4. But while the latter two take AMG sniffing to the next level, the XM looks even more controversial.
BMW Concept XM Rendering 6 photos
Photo: Instagram | SuperRendersCars
BMW Concept XM RenderingBMW Concept XMBMW Concept XMBMW Concept XMBMW Concept XM
Compared by some to a pig, due to the snout-y face, it’s the BMW M Division’s first standalone product since the original M1. For such an iconic legacy, you’d expect it to be quite pretty, but it’s not, not even with the black lipstick digitally applied by SuperRendersCars on Instagram.

The rendering imagines the super SUV with a more toned-down design, using the words ‘production’ and ‘version’ in the same phrase. Compared to the show car, which came to haunt our dreams earlier this week, it has bigger headlamps flanking the black kidneys. The coachline is gone, it has normal door handles, and slimmer D pillars, together with a pixel-infused back end.

We seriously doubt that the final production version of the high-rider previewed by the Concept XM will look like this digital illustration, which is not exactly A quality for that matter. Still, it’s always interesting to see the study with a different front end, like we did two days after the big unveiling, in yet another rendering that somehow managed to highlight the grille even more.

BMW Concept XM
Photo: BMW
As far as the actual production version goes, BMW has confirmed that we will see it, with no camo whatsoever, before the end of next year. It will come to life at the Spartanburg factory, in North Carolina, and will be dubbed the XM, because the German automaker and Citroen have struck a deal that allows them to legally use the moniker.

We will find out everything about it when it shows its ugly face toward the end of 2022, including the price shortly after, which is expected to kick off at over $150,000. Why that much? Because it’s a flagship model, one that will gun for the likes of Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, and Lamborghini, and will feature a Level 3 semi-autonomous driving system, allowing it to drive itself in certain conditions. The technology won’t be offered in the United States, however.

The Concept XM combines a V8 gasoline engine with an electric motor for a total system output of 739 hp (750 ps / 550 kW) and 737 lb-ft (999 Nm) of torque. It is estimated that it can travel 30 miles (48 km) or so on electric power, and while BMW didn’t say anything about the 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) acceleration, it should take around 3 seconds. But would you really get it over of its rivals from the aforementioned brands?




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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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