Earlier this year, BMW made headlines when it announced its first new M series vehicle since the original M1 from 1978.
Known as the XM, the new car is an SUV that is on track to compete in the high-end luxury segment alongside the likes of the Lamborghini Urus and Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and should be made available to South African buyers in the second quarter of 2023.
The world got its first up-close look at the XM when it made its public debut at BMW’s M Fest held at Kyalami Raceway in South Africa, and now only a few weeks later there is already news circulating about a second model in the SUV’s line-up – the Label Red.
What we know
Only a few teaser images of the car have been shown so far, but it’s already clear that the Label Red designation has a literal connotation, as the SUV has distinctive red accents on several parts of its body, including the doors, alloy wheels, and even the sizeable illuminated kidney grille.
The red accents appear to be a replacement for the gold colour found on the standard XM, and this is combined with a much darker blue-and-black paint scheme for an overall more intense-looking car.
Differences between the standard XM and the Label Red are not purely cosmetic, however, as the latter has even more power than its sibling.
The base XM already has an impressive set of performance attributes, courtesy of its plug-in hybrid powertrain – a first for an M-branded original car.
This includes a power ceiling 480kW and an enormous torque figure of 800Nm, thanks to a 4.4-litre V8 engine that has been paired with an electric motor, itself packing 145kW and 280Nm.
This power is then sent to a four-wheel-drive system using an M Steptronic transmission, and the end result is a 0-100km sprint time of 4.3 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.
If you somehow thought that this wasn’t enough power, the good news is that the Label Red takes it even further by bringing the SUV’s output up to an incredible 550kW and 1,000Nm.
This makes it the most powerful production vehicle to ever be produced by the Munich-based manufacturer.
While its performance stats have yet to be revealed, it’s a safe bet to assume that the XM’s fast acceleration time has been cut down even further, a noteworthy achievement for a car that weighs 2,785kg.
No mention has been made of the Label Red’s interior, but it’s reasonable to assume it will feature as many commodities as its sibling, if not more, and will have cosmetic changes made to match the black and red exterior.
This means anyone lucky enough to be able to afford the luxurious SUV can likely expect alloys of up to 23-inches, four-zone automatic climate control, a Harman Kardon surround sound, M multifunction seats, a heads-up display, advanced driver assist systems, and BMW’s new Live Cockpit with a curved dual-display consisting of a 12.3-inch driver’s screen and a 14.9-inch infotainment unit.
The Label Red will reportedly launch in the northern hemisphere’s autumn months next year, suggesting a possible South African launch a few months thereafter as is usually the case with new-car launches.
It has also not been confirmed yet whether the XM Label Red will be a limited edition model, similar to other recent entries like the M4 CSL.
Keyword: BMW XM Label Red – What we know so far