This is the New BMW XM Label Red

The brand new and downright huge BMW XM is making tongues wag, but at least it delivers a lot of power. We didn’t get to see the already announced top version yet, but today we did. This is the BMW XM Label Red.

Yesterday BMW finally pulled the – undoubtedly hefty – curtain off the BMW XM, a gigantic SUV designed to reinforce the 50th anniversary of BMW’s M division. BMW M enthusiasts have some thoughts on that, but at least they can’t argue that the car lacks power in absolute terms. Even in standard form, the plug-in hybrid über-SUV produces 653 hp, more than the M5 CS, which until recently was considered the most powerful street BMW ever.

That the regular BMW XM would not be allowed to keep that title for long also became immediately clear. For BMW immediately announced the BMW XM Label Red, the powerful top version, which immediately introduced a new name. Of course, there is no escaping that when the model itself already has an “M” in its name. Basically, the BMW XM Label Red has the same powertrain built around a 4.4-liter V8, but with a whopping 748 hp and 1,000 Nm.

We still do not have further specifications of the XM Label Red. However, there is now one image of that car, which at least lives up to its name by sporting a red nameplate in the grille. The other accents, which were bronze or black on the previously spotted cars, are now “Toronto Red” as well. This makes for a somewhat uncomfortable overall look, to say the least. We are not averse to a little color, but the red bars over the flank and around the grille take some getting used to. Another difference with the cars shown earlier: the wheels. The ones on the Label Red on display seem a size smaller and are – really – slightly less controversial, although buyers can undoubtedly opt for (even) more striking alloys.

BMW XM LABEL RED
REGULAR BMW XM

Other than that, there are seemingly no optical differences from a regular XM. On the one hand this is understandable, because even that car already has huge bumpers with large air intakes, gigantic exhaust tailpipes and, for example, the “two-legged” M mirrors. On the other hand, it is again a shame, because without the red it seems so particularly difficult to tell which version you are dealing with.

On the inside that should become clear. There are no images yet, but BMW promises a black and red color scheme and “specific details. More information about the BMW XM Label Red will follow ahead of its market launch, scheduled for fall 2023.

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MASERATI PROJECT24: NO COPY THE SAME

110 HP More than the MC20

Especially for those who already have everything else, Maserati comes with an exclusive piece of automotive track toys. The Project24-named extremist was already shown on digital drawings in the middle of this year and has now been brought into better focus.

In July, Maserati showed the first drawings of the Project24, an exclusive non-street-legal car that shares its base with the Maserati MC20. Although its name suggests otherwise, Maserati will build only 62 of the Project24. No two copies of the Project24 are the same, the Italians claim.

Although we see remnants of the MC20 particularly in the middle section of the Project24, both the front and rear are completely different. During the development of the Project24, Maserati was able to release all the brakes. Since it does not have to be street legal, Maserati obviously has all the freedom to make it something extreme. On top of that, the Project24 was not developed specifically for a particular racing class, which removes almost any kind of restrictions.

Like the MC20, the Project24 has the Nettuno-named V6, a machine that produces 630 hp in the MC20, but kicks it up to 740 hp in the Project24. The Project24 weighs about 1,250 kilograms in the process, so count on pretty hefty performance. Maserati has not yet released those, however.