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2022 BMW X8 M Will Be 750 Horsepower ‘Rockstar’

According to a recent leak pushed by Car Magazine, the upcoming BMW X8 M will be the most powerful M yet. Thanks to a twin-turbo V8 and plug-in hybrid electric motor the codename “Project Rockstar” will have 750 horsepower and 737 pound-feet (1,000 Nm) of torque. This is the first major information on the model since BMW trademarked the X8 M name earlier this month in Germany.

Make no mistakes, this won’t be a plug-in hybrid for environmental reasons. Surely, at low speeds the electric motor won’t hurt the eco-footprint of the car, but it’s entirely there for power! This being the first hybrid M model, we don’t know exactly how they’ll choose to configure the motors to deliver AWD. It’s likely they will assign the electric motor to one pair of wheels, and the massive V8 the other.

The X8 M should resemble a crossover in size, rather than a full-sized suv. The X5 M seems like a more appropriate reference point than the X7, which seems too bulky for an M upgrade. After all, the X5 has a configuration with BMW’s CLAR platform, which incorporates a hybrid drivetrain. However, that hybrid X5 has a 2.0L four-cylinder, not exactly a V8.

Until we get more some official confirmation, your best guess is as good as ours. Either way, this is an exciting move in the right direction from BMW. The world could use more speedy hybrids.

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