In November 2021, BMWBLOG was the first to report about BMW’s intentions to introduce fresh names for the XM’s trim levels, such as Label Red and Black Label. That proved to be partially true in April this year when the XM Label Red was officially unveiled as the brand’s most powerful production model ever. However, there’s now a slight change in the model’s designation as the “Red” has been quietly dropped, at least in some countries.
The name change was spotted by CarBuzz on the BMW USA configurator, so they decided to ask a spokesperson what’s what. However, the reply they received is a bit puzzling: “There hasn’t been a name change per se. BMW is just referring to the BMW XM Label Red also as ‘BMW XM Label’ in some communications.” We should point out that the model is now simply called XM Label not just in the US configurator, but also in Germany and Italy while the French, Dutch, and Belgian websites still lists the high-powered SUV with its full name.
There’s a third, less-known variant of the XM since aside from the regular model and the Label (Red), BMW also sells an entry-level 50e in some markets. It eschews the V8 in favor of a smaller inline-six and it’s primarily tailored to countries where there are high taxes on large-displacement engines. The XM 50e is also a plug-in hybrid as the luxury brand has stated the dedicated M model will be sold strictly as a PHEV.
It remains to be seen whether the XM Black Label is in the pipeline. In the meantime, the Red Label is slated to enter production next month at the Spartanburg factory in South Carolina. It’s a permanent member of the lineup and is complemented by a special edition (pictured here) of 500 units featuring an Individual Frozen Carbon Black metallic finish and an interior “1 of 500” plaque, among other exclusive details.
The G09 is rumored to remain in production until November 2027.
Source: CarBuzz
