BMW X3M and X4M Revealed

The German car maker has issued a series of images of the high-riding, high-performance twins wearing a veil of camoflauge ahead of their public debut at the latest round of the German DTM (touring car) championship at the Nurbrurgring circuit this weekend.

As can be seen behind the wireframe stickers over the prototypes, both variants will feature unique front and rear bumpers and wider wheel arch extensions and side sills while the X3M wagon has a roof-mounted wing and the X4M coupe has a subtle lip spoiler on the leading edge of the boot.

There's also bigger-than-normal alloy wheels (expected to measure 20-inches) with grippy high-performance tyres and a larger braking system.

BMW has yet to reveal full technical details of the X3M and X4M, but has confirmed both will be powered by a "newly-developed" straight six-cylinder engine, likely to feature a single twin-scroll turbo system rather than the twin-turbo set-up offered in the current M3 sedan, M4 coupe and convertible, and the updated M2 Competition as that engine will be phased out due to tightening emissions regulations in Europe.

Still, the German car maker says the powerplant will continue to offer the "high-revving characteristics" that dedicated M Division variants have been renowned for.

In any case, it will drive through a modified version of the M xDrive all-wheel drive transmission first introduced on the latest-generation M5 super sedan and feature an electronically-controlled M rear differential to give it a rear-biased driving character.

“With their M specific performance characteristics, the BMW X3 M and the BMW X4 M will set benchmarks in terms of dynamics in their respective vehicle segment,” says BMW M Division President, Frank van Meel.

Full details of the BMW X3M and X4M are expected to be revealed when the cars make their debut in final production form at the Paris motor show next month.