BMW has announced that the XM Label Red is coming to South Africa, the flagship model of the M department’s first-ever plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and the most powerful road-legal M car ever made.
These accolades are thanks to a semi-electrified drivetrain that combines the automaker’s legendary 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine with a 145kW electric motor for a total system output of 550kW and 1,000Nm.
This is 70kW and 200Nm more than the model it is based on, allowing the sizeable BMW to sprint to 100km/h in as little as 3.8 seconds and peak out at a limited 250km/h.
However, for South Africa, the Label Red will come standard with the M Driver’s Package which boosts the maximum speed to 290km/h.
Channeling power to the tarmac is an eight-speed automatic transmission in conjunction with the M xDrive all-wheel-drive programme, which itself has also been tweaked specifically for this model.
The rear-wheel-biased configuration brings a 4WD Sport mode as well as a new 4WD Sand mode that has been “conceived specifically for driving over dunes and similar surfaces,” said BMW, along with an electronically-controlled rear differential lock for enhanced traction and directional stability.
Moreover, the BMW is equipped with adaptive M Suspension Professional featuring electronically-controlled dampers and active roll stabilisation to eliminate body roll, as well as the M Sport braking system.
In addition to the mindblowing performance statistics, the top-end XM achieves a low combined fuel consumption of 1.6-1.7l/100km in the right conditions courtesy of the PHEV system.
An all-electric driving range of 75-83km at a maximum of 140km/h is on the cards, too, and when the 25.7kWh battery is depleted it can be recharged from 0-100% via a 7.4kW AC plug in four hours and 15 minutes.
To make things even easier, included as standard in the purchase of a Label Red are a Flexible Fast Charger and the Charging Cable Professional.
Label Red design cues
The standard XM was already an eccentric car even by BMW’s standards, but the Label Red takes it a few steps further to respond to the “needs of customers with a taste for an extroverted lifestyle and a passion for ultimate performance in a car reaching beyond traditional conventions,” said the automaker.
Distinguishing this model from the normal XM is a Toronto Red Metallic accent band around the exterior perimeter, red badging, 22-inch light-alloy wheels with red inserts, and a high-gloss black kidney grille and diffuser.
The black-and-red colour scheme extends into the cabin with diamond-patterned leather seats finished in this combination, red contrast stitching, red climate control vents, exclusive XM badging, carbon fibre trim elements with red/blue threads, and a black instrument panel, door trim, centre console, and “three-dimensional” headliner.
The Label Red is then endowed with a range of top-of-the-line appliances befitting its halo-model status.
Standard fit includes M multifunction seats, a heads-up display, an M leather steering wheel with black chrome insets, carbon M buttons and gearshift paddles, a 360-degree camera system, and the Live Cockpit Professional system comprising a 12.3-inch driver’s display and 14.9-inch infotainment panel.
Also installed are front collision warnings, lane-departure warning with return and steering assistance, steering and lane-control assistant, evasion assistant, alertness assistant, active cruise control with stop and go, traffic light recognition, and the Parking Assistant Plus package.
XM Label Red debut
The new BMW super SUV is making its global debut in April at the Shanghai International motor show in April with production scheduled to kick off in August 2023, after which it will start its staggered introductions in markets around the globe, including ours.
A special-edition specification of the Label Red painted in BMW Individual Frozen Carbon Black metallic will also be produced and limited to 500 examples worldwide.
“Further information will be made available closer to market introduction,” said BMW South Africa.
BMW XM Label Red
