BMW’s lineup is getting a new high-powered halo model for an electrified age.
The XM plug-in hybrid SUV is the first standalone vehicle from the M performance brand since the BMW M1 launched five decades ago.
It will be assembled at BMW‘s U.S. factory in South Carolina, with deliveries beginning early next year. Pricing starts at $159,995, including shipping.
The new model arrives as the German performance marque steps up its electrification game.
AutoPacific President Ed Kim describes the XM as a “transition model” that shows M brand customers that electrified performance is the future.
“M is a brand for hardcore performance enthusiasts, the kinds that have petrol running through their veins,” Kim said.
But BMW is looking beyond gearhead customers with the XM.
The SUV is “a pinnacle of expressive luxury,” says Franciscus van Meel, CEO of the M brand.
“We are really addressing target groups that we didn’t address within BMW and M,” van Meel said at a press event late last year.
