- Likely to break cover by end-September

- Will be the new Bavarian flagship

BMW has officially teased the upcoming XM flagship with an image highlighting its illuminated grille. When it arrives – which might happen as early as the end of September 2022 – the XM performance SUV will become the flagship offering from the Bavarian carmaker.

In the single teaser image, we could see the unique new shape of the iconic ‘kidney grille’, which is illuminated. Flanking the large grille are sleek LED upper lamps that are part of the new design language for BMW, as seen on the facelifts of the X7 and 7 Series.

For the XM, BMW will make use of their familiar 4.4-litre V8, which will be paired with a plug-in hybrid system. The total output is expected to be 650bhp and 900Nm with a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox and a pure-EV range of around 50-70kilometres. There will also be a less powerful version with a straight-six engine. A more powerful Competition/CS version is also on the cards.

Since BMW is celebrating 50 years of the M Performance Division, the XM is expected to arrive before the end of this year. Also, the XM would be the first standalone car from the M Division since the original M1. We could see the first glimpse on 27 September if rumours are to be believed.