BMW M plans to put the electric X5 M into production at Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina in April 2028, several months before the V8-powered version of the same model reaches the assembly line in late 2028. Both cars will carry the G95 internal code and be built at the same factory, making the X5 M the first M model offered with a V8 and a fully electric drivetrain under a single chassis designation.
The electric-first sequence mirrors the approach BMW M is taking with the next-generation M3. The fully electric M3, codenamed ZA0, is confirmed for Munich from 2027 and will be badged simply M3, without an «i» suffix. The petrol G84 M3 follows in 2028 from Dingolfing, with sources pointing to a July start. The gap between the two M3s is well over a year, while the X5 M interval is much shorter.
The difference in timing appears to reflect production planning rather than engineering. The two M3s are distinct cars: the electric version rides on the Neue Klasse architecture, the combustion car stays on CLAR, and they are built in different plants. The two X5 Ms share a chassis code and a factory. Spartanburg began building the new G65 X5 in August and will add the plug-in hybrid and the electric iX5 there as well, so staggering the two M versions by a few months looks like a scheduling decision.
According to sources, the combustion X5 M keeps the S68 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 as a mild hybrid and should produce somewhere in the 600 hp range. Earlier reporting put the G95’s output at 460 kW, or 616 hp, the same rating as the current F95 X5 M Competition, which BMW quotes at 617 hp and 553 lb-ft in the United States and which already pairs the S68 with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. That system uses a 9 kW electric motor built into the transmission, adding up to 200 Nm of torque to fill in before the turbos come on boost and to smooth the stop-start function.
The V8 will not be exclusive to the M car. BMW has confirmed a V8 M Performance version of the new X5 for 2027, expected to be called X5 M60, so the S68 returns to the X5 line-up roughly a year before the full M version arrives.
The electric X5 M could produce as much as 900 hp, according to sources, which would make it the most powerful BMW SUV yet. That is 152 hp more than the XM Label Red’s 748 hp and close to 300 hp more than the V8 X5 M is expected to make. BMW has not confirmed output, motor count or battery size. A four-motor layout from the electric M3 is expected, with one motor per wheel and software doing the job of a mechanical differential. If the car uses the 147.8 kWh pack rumoured for the electric X5, it would also carry the largest battery BMW has used.
The electric X5 M would sit at the top of a ladder that starts with the iX5 60 xDrive at about 570 hp and continues with the iX5 M70 xDrive, an M Performance model due in September 2027 with at least 650 hp expected. Prototypes of the X5 M have been testing in Germany with a taller, closed 3D kidney surround, larger intakes than the iX5, a second roof spoiler element and blue calipers over perforated discs. A market launch is expected in the summer of 2028.
The next-generation X6 M, codenamed G96, is expected to follow the same petrol-and-electric split, though full M versions are not anticipated before 2029.