The BMW XM is wonderful to drive, handling far better than you would expect from such a large SUV, and it has an outstanding interior, too. It’s also horrifically ugly, seemingly intentionally designed in defiance of modern design principles. Oh, and it’s a plug-in hybrid, too, with a starting price north of $150,000. If you think that sounds like a hard sell, it seems BMW agrees. According to Automotive News, there will be no replacement for the XM, and it will quietly die off in a couple of years.
The original plan was reportedly to replace the plug-in hybrid XM with a new generation that would be fully electric. Apparently, though, that’s no longer happening, and the XM will cease production in November 2028. It’s not currently clear why BMW changed its mind, although it’s probably safe to assume that sales haven’t been as high as BMW had initially hoped. It does cost significantly more than an X5 M Competition, after all, while being a couple of ticks slower to hit 60 mph unless you’re willing to drop $185,000 on an XM Label Red.
The same report also claims the 6 Series will return to the lineup as both a coupe and convertible. Like many of BMW’s other vehicles, it will allegedly be offered in gas, hybrid, and fully electric forms. And while it’s not clear how long it will take to arrive in the U.S. production is reportedly set to begin in July of 2026. The timing also more or less lines up with the expected end of 8 Series production in mid-2026.
As one dealer who asked to remain anonymous told AutoNews, BMW probably won’t sell a lot of them, but they don’t believe every vehicle in the lineup has to have mass appeal, saying, “Mainstream cars are popular, but we should have the niche cars as well. BMW is trying to get in alignment on what customers are looking for.”
