Did you think that BMW was done expanding its SUV lineup after the presentation the gargantuan X7? A trademark filed with the German Patent and Trademark Office suggests otherwise.
Discovered by a member of the BimmerPost forum, it was filed for the ‘X8 M’ moniker on March 24 and entered in the registry on April 1 (no joke).
According to the listing, the name can be used for vehicles, engines, parts and accessories, and also falls under the goods and equipment classification, including games, scale models, toys, video games and so on.
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While it could be that BMW is playing it safe securing the moniker ahead of the competition, never to use it again, in light of the recent crossover and SUV boom in the upper luxury segments, it’s not far fetched to think that they are indeed prepping another huge high-rider, albeit one that will get the full-blown M treatment.
BMW X8 render by Kolesa.ru
Keep in mind that this is pure speculation, as no one outside BMW knows anything about it. Still, the X8 was already hinted long before the current X7 broke cover, and it seems that it could be on track for a presentation withing the next couple of years, perhaps with a plug-in hybrid powertrain in an M45e guise, with a total output of 388 HP if it follows in the footsteps of the X5 xDrive45e.
This isn’t the first time the X8 M nameplate has crossed the rumor mill, as previous reports indicated that it could get a more potent V8 engine and an electric motor pumping out closer to 750 HP. If those rumors have any truth in them, then it would gain a rear-biased all-wheel drive system, like the M5 and upcoming M3. It’s also possible that it might get the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 from the X5 M and X6 M, where it develops 617 HP in the Competition versions.
Nothing is clear when it comes to the looks either, as while some believe that it will be an X7 with a sloping roofline and room for four, other state that it will have its own design identity (and hopefully, will look nothing like these sedan-SUV-ish renders).
If it’s indeed in the pipeline, then it would bridge the gap between the X7 and Rolls-Royce Cullinan – because one cannot have too many luxury SUVs, right?
