BMW X8 M to get wild 560kW hybrid V8
Bavarian performance house to unleash thunderous BMW X8 M in 2022If you're looking for the biggest, brawniest, berserkest SUV out there, BMW M may have you covered.
New details surrounding the upcoming BMW X8 M are starting to coalesce, and the all-new gargantuan coupe-like SUV is now expected to get an electrified version of the German brand's almighty twin-turbo V8 engine… an engine that would make it the world's most powerful SUV.
Augmented with plug-in hybrid technology, the 4.4-litre biturbo V8 is expected to bang out around 560kW of power, or 750hp in the old money. Yep, that's 100 more horses than the latest Porsche 911 Turbo S -- and imagine 750 horses galloping at once…
Maximum thrust from the petrol V8 and electric motor combined would equate to 1000Nm, according to
. The British website claims development of the bahnstorming SUV is referred to as 'Project Rockstar' by the BMW's M division.
BMW filed trademarks for the X8 name in early 2018 followed by X8 M moniker last month and carsales.com.au understands the new BMW X8 will break cover in 2021 alongside a BMW X8 'M Performance' model.
The latter will preview the look of the hard-core BMW X M that will launch in 2022.
If you're not including pure-electric vehicles or EVs – specifically the Tesla Model X with its combined 585kW (785hp) output and cheetah-stance launches – the world's most powerful combustion SUV engine is currently the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. It has a supercharged petrol V8 pumping out 522kW (700hp).
The Lamborghini Urus is currently in second place with it's twin-turbo V8 that develops 478kW (640hp), and narrowly out-paces the Jeep to become the world's quickest production SUV with a 0-100km/h time of 3.6sec.
The bonkers 560kW BMW X8 M could be quicker than that (not to mention the 460kW/750Nm BMW X5 and X6 M Competition, which along with the Audi RS Q8, Mercedes-AMG GLC and GLE S, Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q and Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid hits 100km/h in a claimed 3.8sec), thanks to a plug-in hybrid module that combines with the turbo V8 to deliver power rather than efficiency gains.
The BMW M division is yet to dabble with electrification in any form but as we reported last month, the high-performance sub-brand will unleash a powerful EV this decade.
"In the 2020s we will have an electrified portfolio of BMW M vehicles," Daniel Schmidt, the head of product management at BMW M, told carsales.com.au.
"We do believe in that time-frame we will have the technologies on hand in order to deliver similar if not even better performance than we have today with a regular combustion engine," he added.
The electric motor/s of the BMW X8 M is understood to leverage the tech being pioneered for the all-electric BMW i4 sports sedan and BMW iX3 mid-size SUVs.
As we've previously reported, the BMW X8 will be similar in size to the colossal BMW X7 SUV, but instead of being a seven-seat vehicle it will have only five or even just four seats, with global demand expected to come from China, Russia and the Middle East.
Stay tuned for more details.
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