2009 New York Auto Show: 2010 BMW X6 M

After BMW officials waded through a grim economic status update, noting that the company will continue to maximize liquidity and cut costs through 2009, Ludwig Wilisch, head of the Motorsport division, got down to the business of introducing the 2010 BMW X6 M , which we've already written about in detail. The 2010 BMW X5 M was nowhere to be found; its official debut is two weeks from now in Shanghai .

The engine is the story on the X6 M, as the Motorsport engineers started with the block of the 4.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 engine in the current BMW 750i and made modifications from there. The turbos are twin-scroll on the M-tuned V8, and there's that innovative two-piece single exhaust manifold. Really, it's a completely different engine now, though it retains the reverse-flow design (with the turbos in the vee), which explains the 555 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque.

Still, says Wilisch, "our philosophy is that the chassis must always be faster than the engine -- a big challenge I can tell you, on an SAV."

To that end, the M engineers retuned the car's Active Roll Stabilization system and fitted stiffer rear axle mounts and upgraded control arm bushings. Plus, the BMW X6 M sits 0.4 inch lower than the normal X6.

Come fall 2009, we'll see how well the Motorsport engineers fared with this first-ever M-badged SUV. -- Erin Riches, Senior Editor

Categories: BMW,New York Auto Show,SUVs,Shanghai Auto Show