- The electric iX5 M could make as much as 1,000 horsepower.
- Design changes will be made to sharpen its looks and boost cooling.
- Nürburgring testing is underway before the SUV reaches buyers.
Like so many other legacy brands, BMW is navigating a rapidly evolving industry where customer desires can seemingly change on a whim, depending in large part on ever-changing policies in regions around the world. The all-electric iX5 likely won’t sell the same kind of numbers as the combustion model, but BMW is sinking a boatload of cash into its development, already working on a new flagship M-branded model.
Read: BMW Is Turning The Electric iX5 Into An X5 M And Here’s The Grille To Prove It
We were given our first look at this new model back in July, when a heavily camouflaged prototype was spotted while out and about in Europe. The German brand has now taken the electric SUV to Germany’s Nürburgring, putting it through the ultimate performance and durability test before it reaches customers’ hands.
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As with every serious M product, telling this one apart from lesser iX5 variants won’t take much effort. A set of low and wide kidney grilles is already visible on the prototype. To ensure the M looks as mean as other models from the company, expect these grilles to be blacked out.
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The rear of the X5 M should get a similar treatment. A reworked bumper and a more pronounced lip spoiler are both on the cards, doing a small amount of aerodynamic work and a rather larger amount for the way the SUV looks.
Quad Motor Power
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Performance is what will really set this version apart from all others. Much like the all-electric BMW M3, which is also just around the corner, this creation is tipped to boast four electric motors that will easily be capable of delivering more than 1,000 hp, though whether the German brands hands over that much grunt from day one is another question. A launch model somewhere in the 800 to 900 hp window seems plausible, with hotter variants flirting with or passing the 1,000 hp mark later, assuming buyers ask for them.
Not only will the quartet of electric motors give the electric X5 M an extraordinary amount of power, but working alongside the same ‘Heart of Joy’ software and electronics stack as the electric M3 should enable intricate torque vectoring at all four corners, which should allow the SUV to corner and handle in a way that perhaps even the new combustion-powered X5 M may be unable to match.
A debut is expected late next year, with most markets seeing cars in early 2028.
