BMW X8 spotted testing, could it be an M version?

BMW continues testing its largest crossover SUV on the lineup, the X8, and the example spotted today is a hybrid that just might be called X8 M.

Look for the sticker ‘Hybrid Test Vehicle’ if you doubt it. As for the powertrain, while nothing is official yet, rumor has it the model might ship with a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor joining forces for 750 PS (740 hp / 552 kW) total. If true, this would make the X8 M the most powerful production BMW ever, easily surpassing the Audi RS Q8 with its 600 PS (592 hp / 441 kW).

Another hybrid version based on a 3.0-liter inline-six turbo should arrive packing around 400 PS (394 hp / 294 kW) and 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) of torque.

Note also the unusual stacked exhaust pipe arrangement: we suspect that out of the four finishers, only the lower ones are real and the upper ones are fake, but it remains to be seen.

When the alleged X8 M reaches the market, it will likely do so in four- and five-seat variants. It will probably also get the same Digital Cockpit cabin as the i4 and the iX, which features multiple displays merged under one sheet of glass, governed by the iDrive Operating System.

The standard SUV should come out into the spotlight later this year, while the M version may not appear in public until 2022.