BMW X8 M patent suggests flagship M car will be SUV

BMW M is secretly working on a new performance flagship that will produce more power than any model in its history.

Sadly, for those hoping for a low-slung supercar, according to new patents filed in Germany and found by Bimmer Post, the flagship M model will be an X8 M – a coupe-style SUV based on the current BMW X7.

Set to take the shape of a big, rakish, ultra-luxurious four-seat SUV with the same footprint as the X7, the new X8 is rumoured to touch down before the end of 2020, or early 2021 at the latest, and will be quickly followed by the M version.

Rumoured to have been developed under the 'G09' codename, the X8 M is set to come with the same twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 as the X5 and X6 M models (as well as the M5, M6 and M8), but to cope with the extra kilos it could come with added electrification and lots more power.

Expect it to eclipse the 460kW and 750Nm outputs of the latest M8 Competition and for the blisteringly fast SUV to hit 100km/h in less than four seconds.

As well as being the most powerful car BMW has ever made, the X8 M is set to also be the German brand's most expensive SUV when it arrives. BMW is expected to charge a healthy premium over the $172K it charges for the X7 M50i.

In fact, it could come close the price tags of the BMW M8 Competition Coupe ($352,900) and the BMW M760Li xDrive ($378,900).