Wish BMW M’s second standalone model were a high-performance coupé that followed in the footsteps of the original M1? Well, there’s a reason it’s a hefty SUV instead…

BMW recently revealed its upcoming XM’s peak outputs. As impressive as the figures are, many were left wondering why the M division’s second standalone model took the form of a hulking SUV rather than a svelte coupé.

Well, BMW M boss Frank van Meel suggests the market was an entirely different one when the M1 debuted as the high-performance division’s first standalone model back in the late 1970s.

“When we did the M1, every car company that wanted to say ‘I have something special’ built a sports car – that was the segment everyone wanted to enter. If you look today at the biggest, most important and fastest-growing segment, it’s clearly the SUV segment,” Van Meel told Autoblog. “And, in comparison to other manufacturers, we were still lacking this ultimate expressive luxury flagship at the top of M.”

“Of course, there is the Mercedes-AMG G63, the Lamborghini Urus, the Aston Martin DBX, and so on. You see all of these high-end, very expressive models. For the customers, this is something that has been missing at M. That was the biggest demand,” he said.

The Munich-based firm recently released images of the camouflaged XM undergoing final testing, while also revealing the production model’s peak outputs would stand at a heady 480 kW and 800 Nm. However, rumours suggest an even more powerful version with the Concept XM’s 550 kW and 1 000 Nm outputs will follow at a later stage.

The M1 was the first standalone model from the BMW M division…

The XM is powered by what BMW describes as a “newly developed” V8 petrol engine, which is assisted by an electric motor (with drive directed to all four corners courtesy of the firm’s first hybrid-specific M xDrive system). The German company claims the XM will boast an all-electric range of “around 80 km”.

Van Meel furthermore suggested to Autoblog the powertrain had close links to BMW’s racing division.

“In our 50-year heritage, we’ve always looked at racing and series-production cars to see where each one is going and what they can learn from each other. We’re continuing this with the XM: it has a V8 electric plug-in hybrid system and [our upcoming entry into the LMDh prototype category] also has a V8 hybrid drivetrain. You can see that when it works for racing, it also works for the high-performance cars.”

BMW is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, having already revealed the M4 CSLand likely gearing up to show M3 Touring. Expect to see the production version of the XM towards the end of 2022, with the first units set to roll off the assembly line at the firm’s Spartanburg plant in the United States in December.