A prototype of the 2028 BMW X7 M60 has been caught testing at the Nürburgring with yellow lights at the front and four exhaust tips at the back. The lights are the bigger news, because they put the second-generation X7 (G67) on the growing list of M Performance models wearing the color BMW M is turning into its signature. We’ve been tracking the V8 model since at least February, when it tested alongside the electric iX7, and the spy videos we posted in July and August showed off the quad pipes. These new photos put the focus on the lighting.
Why Does The X7 M60 Have Yellow Lights?
The slim light strips at the top corners of the front end glow yellow, while the same strips on the iX7 prototype photographed at the Ring glow white. As we reported in June, BMW is bringing M Yellow Lights to its road cars, inspired by the M Hybrid V8 endurance racer. The look started on a handful of CS special editions, but it’s spreading quickly.
The new M350 xDrive gets yellow lights as an M Performance exclusive, so you can’t order them on a 330 or an i3. The new X5 M60e and the V8-powered X5 M60 have them too, and BMW M teased the electric M3 (ZA0) with yellow daytime running lights in May. With the X7 M60 joining that list, BMW appears to be turning yellow lights into the badge that separates its M Performance and full M models from everything else in the showroom.
Quad Pipes And A Grille That Breathes For The V8
At the back, the X7 M60 has two pairs of round exhaust tips at the corners of the bumper. BMW now hides the tailpipes on the regular versions of models like the G50 3 Series, so visible quad tips have become an M Performance calling card. Up front, the grille looks slightly different from the iX7’s, with openings for air that a V8 needs and an electric motor doesn’t. The rest matches the electric model: split headlights, a large kidney grille with mesh panels in its lower half, and taillights made of thin, stacked LED strips with a gap in the middle of the tailgate. The X7 M60 rides on large, dark multi-spoke wheels, and the rear wiper still sits out on the glass, which suggests the upright tail of the G07 stays.
How Much Power Will The X7 M60 Make?
BMW hasn’t released any numbers. In August, we reported that the prototype is the X7 M60 xDrive with the twin-turbo 4.4-liter S68 V8. The current X7 M60i uses that engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system and makes 523 hp (390 kW) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm).
We expect a small bump, as we do for the new X5 M60. The X5 M60e plug-in hybrid already makes 603 hp, and the X7 won’t get a plug-in hybrid, so the V8 has some catching up to do if BMW wants its biggest SUV to keep pace with the smaller one. From what we’ve heard, there’s no full X7 M planned, which leaves the M60 at the top of the regular lineup. ALPINA’s version, reportedly codenamed G69, is expected to use a V8 as well and could arrive in 2028.
BMW has confirmed the second-generation X7 for 2027, with production at Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina reportedly starting in September 2027. The X7 M60 may not be there on day one, though: the V8-powered X5 M60 is reportedly arriving several months after the first X5s, and the X7 could follow the same pattern. Yellow lights started on limited-run CS specials, and now they’re headed for a three-row luxury SUV, which shows how far BMW M wants to stretch the look.
Photos: [SHProshots]
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
Â
