As wild as concept cars come, the BMW Concept XM is actually closer to production than you might think. More than 90% of the showcar’s styling will rub off onto the final version due to enter production at the end of 2022. Independent artist SRK Designs has rendered a slightly watered-down version of the boldly designed concept car to imagine the road-going performance SUV.
He actually did more than that as he illustrated the XM in a fully electric specification, although BMW hasn’t said a word about yanking out the combustion engine. Subtle changes such as the addition of traditional door handles while making the main lower headlights more visible have resulted in a less polarizing appearance. The illuminated contour of the grille is gone, replaced with the typical blue accents of an electric Bimmer part of the ‘i” family.
The hypothetical XM pictured here also has a discreetly modified front bumper to accommodate the radar sensor in the center, housed within a newly gained lower air intake. The coupe-styled SUV has lost some of the glossy black trim at the front, along with the “XM” logo installed on the extravagant concept car. In addition, the flashy wheels have made way for a more sensible set of rims and the M mirrors have been replaced by a normal set of side caps.
The more we look at the digital XM, the more tweaks we notice. For example, the black side strip running along the shoulder line has been deleted, much like the triangular black ornament on the lower plastic body cladding. These revisions have all been done to give the plug-in hybrid SUV a more production-intent appearance. Overall, we’d argue the changes are for the better, and with a smaller kidney grille, the V8 PHEV monster would have fewer critics. That said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and for some people, the Concept XM is simply too outrageous regardless of how BMW will scale down the aggressive lines for the final model.
The Spartanburg-built XM will face some stiff electrified competition coming from the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid as well as a PHEV version of the Lamborghini Urus facelift, plus non-hybrids like the Cayenne Turbo GT and the next Range Rover Sport SVR. These all look more down to earth than the XM, even the Urus, but BMW is confident it will attract new buyers with its eccentric SUV.
[Source: SRK Designs / YouTube]
