The BMW XM might only be little more than a year old, but it seems the writing’s already on the wall for the polarizing super SUV. Munich made a big deal about the XM upon its debut, touting its M Division accolades as the only car after the legendary BMW M1 to be fully developed by the brand’s performance arm. But not even a three-colored M badge could have saved the V8 plug-in hybrid, apparently, as BMW will reportedly let production of the XM conclude in 2028 with no plans for a successor, according to Automotive News.
BMW planned to introduce a new model of the XM that would replace its plug-in hybrid drivetrain with an all-electric one. The high-performance SUV combines a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor built into its eight-speed automatic transmission to produce 738 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque in the flagship XM Label Red. The base model XM also makes impressive power using the same S68 V8 and PHEV drivetrain, for a total of 644 hp and 590 lb-ft. A 25.7-kWh battery pack powers the electric motor and grants the plug-in hybrid an EV range of about 30 miles. This capability let BMW get away with calling the PHEV its “halo model for an electrified range,” per Auto News.
It made sense, then, that the successor to the BMW XM would be a fully-electric model that dispensed with the fire-breathing V8 as BMW marches towards its goal of EVs accounting for half of all sales by 2030. Production of an XM EV, which went by code name G79, was slated to begin in late 2028 at BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, but supply chain analysts tell Auto News those plans are now being scrapped; instead of production beginning for a new XM EV, production of the XM is slated to end altogether. So much for the halo model. The Drive has reached out to BMW for comment on the report, and will update this story with whatever we learn.
The XM experiment is turning out to be short-lived, the model having reached dealers last year yet facing an imminent demise. But it’s hard to imagine that many will be mourning the loss. The base model XM starts at $159,000, while the faster XM Label (not to be confused with the limited edition Label Red) starts at $185,000. Maybe the XM is too pricey in regard to its nebulous market position. Is it a performance SUV, a luxury PHEV, or both? Maybe neither. Or maybe it’s just too ugly? Despite the XM being an M Division thoroughbred, it’s hard to look past its brutal appearance. No matter how fast the BMW XM is—going from 0-60 in as little as 3.7 seconds—it cannot outrun itself.
Updated at 5:05 p.m. ET on 06/26/2024: A BMW spokesperson reached out to The Drive and provided the following statement: “While as a matter of policy BMW does not comment on third-party speculation regarding future product development, given the attention recent stories have received, we feel it necessary to clarify that there are currently no plans to reintroduce the BMW 6 Series to the market for model year 2026, despite what is being widely reported in automotive media circles. Furthermore, BMW has made no official statement on the future of a successor to the BMW XM.”
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