Article Summary
- LARTE Design built a full-exterior BMW XM kit in one matte olive tone, color-matched across painted panels and dry carbon.
- It’s the atelier’s Customization Level 2 approach, previously applied to Urus, AMG, Porsche, and Cadillac platforms.
- The kit bolts to factory mounting points — no cutting or drilling — and keeps the 644-hp M Hybrid powertrain fully stock.
While much of the debate around the BMW XM has centered on whether the polarizing SUV needs a design refresh, German tuning house LARTE Design has taken a different approach entirely. Rather than reworking headlights or grilles, the atelier has built a full-exterior program for the XM finished in one continuous matte olive tone — applied identically across both painted body panels and dry-carbon components — so the car reads as a single, uninterrupted color rather than a factory shape with bolted-on accessories. LARTE Design argues that a facelift only changes details while what a divisive design like the XM actually needs is a presence that can’t be mistaken for anything else on the road.
Matching Paint to Carbon, Panel by Panel
The build’s defining feature is its color consistency. Instead of selecting a paint shade and a separate carbon finish, LARTE Design developed the two together, matching paint against cured carbon-fiber samples panel by panel until the seams between materials effectively disappear. The company says this is the same color-matching discipline it applies across its broader customization work, here extended to what it calls one of BMW’s most divisive models.
The kit itself reshapes the XM’s front and rear architecture with wide fender extensions, redesigned side skirts, and a forged wheel set finished to match the body. All components are engineered to mount to the vehicle’s existing factory attachment points, meaning no cutting or drilling is required for installation.
Mechanically Stock, Fully Functional
Despite the visual overhaul, LARTE Design says the XM’s underlying M Hybrid powertrain is untouched. That means the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, paired with an electric motor, continues to produce a combined 644 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, with a 0-60 mph time of roughly 4.1 seconds and up to 30 miles of electric-only range. The company also notes that every driver-assistance system and parking sensor remains fully operational after installation — a detail tuners often have to work around when modifying a vehicle’s bodywork.
Part of a Broader “Level 2” Philosophy
LARTE Design categorizes the build under what it calls its Customization Level 2 positioning — a tier defined by personalization engineered directly into a vehicle’s structural components, with paint and carbon color-matched rather than picked from a standard options list. The company says this same approach underpins its previous work on the Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes-AMG models, Porsche platforms, and Cadillac’s Escalade, and is now being applied to BMW’s most talked-about current model.
Founded by Alexej Janowski, LARTE Design is a German atelier known for producing TÜV-certified dry-carbon body kits for a range of high-end platforms, including the Mercedes-AMG G-Class, GT, GLE and GLS; the Porsche Cayenne and 911; the Cadillac Escalade; and several BMW models, including the X5M, X6, X6M, X7, i7, XM and 7 Series.
More details on the build, along with a configurator for the kit, are available on LARTE Design’s website.
