Key Points
- BMW trademarks XB8, potentially hinting at new Alpina model.
- XB8 could feature more comfort, Alpina styling, and enhanced luxury targeting Bentley buyers.
- BMW’s trademark filing comes ahead of Alpina naming rights becoming usable in 2026.
Since at least 2020, BMW was rumored to be preparing a new range-topping ultra-luxury SUV called the X8. As it turned out, this would actually be the XM, the M division’s first standalone product since the fabled M1. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been a great success, with already low sales of the XM falling dramatically this year. But apparently, BMW hasn’t given up on its dreams of attracting Bentayga buyers, and this time, it may get the opulent SUV’s positioning and style right. The automaker has filed a new trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office for the name XB8, indicating that BMW’s next attempt at bringing Bentley buyers in is likely to wear an Alpina badge.
If the XB8 trademark is indeed a hint of things to come, we suspect that the XM may be completely discontinued as a badge after just one generation (G09). Not only would too many options make choices tough for buyers, but it’s likely that BMW would want us all to forget the XM ever happened. As mentioned, this was positioned as M’s first standalone M car in decades, and BMW went to great lengths to ensure the world’s press was aware that the XM featured the first road-going application of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid found in the BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh racer. Sadly, road tests revealed that, while the seating was luxurious and comfortable, the overly stiff suspension designed to deal with the heavy architecture made it difficult to enjoy the fancy interior to the full. The XM is neither comfortable nor sporty enough to justify either brief. Moreover, while BMW’s intentionally divisive contemporary styling has worked with mainstay M products like the M2, M3, and M4, the XM has been broadly shunned. Therefore, it makes sense to let the XM fade away.
As disappointing as the XM has been, it’s unlikely that BMW would start over completely from scratch. We predict that the basic architecture of the XM will carry over to the XB8, if it becomes a production model, but this time, the SUV will have Buchloe flavor. In other words, it’ll be more comfortable than the XM ever was and feature Alpina-specific styling elements. Think multi-spoke wheels, a subtle body kit, more power, and gorgeous green or blue paint, for example. There’s only one flaw in this logic. Alpina has always built cars based on existing Bimmers, and there’s no BMW X8 – at least, not yet. As noted by CarBuzz, this may simply be a case of the Bavarians retaining an iteration of the X8 trademark they have held, but never used, since 1998 (a year before entering the SUV game with the E53 X5). But with BMW pushing further upmarket with limited editions like the Skytop and Speedtop, and with the company acquiring the rights to the Alpina name in 2022 with plans to use those rights from 2026, anything could happen.
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