When BMW rolled out the XM Concept in November of 2021, you, our dear readers, were swift in your condemnation. But while everyone piled on the polarizing design, there were few critiques surrounding the plug-in hybrid powertrain. Packing 750 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque from a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 and an electric motor, the XM Concept sounded like every bit the rival to hot, hybridized Porsche Cayennes.
But Motor1.com confirmed during a brief test in an XM development car that, when it arrives in dealerships at the end of 2022, the production XM will be packing 644 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. A production version with the concept’s promised output will arrive months or perhaps up to half a year after, which says to us we’re looking at spring or summer of 2023.
“When we talked about the concept vehicle back in December, we came up with higher numbers and we told you about 750 hp and 1,000 Newton-meters (737 lb-ft). Obviously we will stick to that, of course. Later in the production, we will bring a more powerful car to the US market,” BMW M spokesman Martin Schleypen said.
When asked what form that vehicle will take, Schleypen confirmed that the vehicle in question will not carry the Competition badging that’s set higher-performance M models apart from their mainline siblings for the past few years, although it will be similar in spirit.
“We won’t call it XM Competition, and we won’t tell you what we call it [yet], but basically yes,” Schleypen said.
While the lower-than-promised output is certainly disappointing for fans looking to seriously outgun their Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid-toting neighbors, as we found out during our first drive, 644 hp is still a helluva lot of fun in the XM. Check out our full first drive for more on the XM.
