Captured by the Automotive Mike YouTube page, the partially disguised prototype has however gained masking at the base of the doors suggesting the fitment of wider door sills, while the roof has been given a white-and-black finish.

Riding the curbs and clipping the various apexes around the Green Hell, the X3 M will reportedly use the M3/M4 Competition Pack’s 331kW 3.0-litre straight-six twin-turbo petrol engine, which could see it reach 100km/h from standstill in 4.5 seconds. Adding to this will be the fitment of upgraded brakes, suspension, quicker steering, M specific alloy wheels and M touches inside.

While expected to rival the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 and Audi SQ5, BMW looks set to supplement the X3 M with a Competition Pack (CP) version to take-on the GLC 63 S and RS Q5, which could pack as much as 349kW from the same engine, and therefore complete the benchmark sprint in around four seconds.

Based on the report from motor.es, the CP will feature the M5’s sports-focused xDrive all-wheel drive system, M Sport brakes, adjustable suspension and dampers, tweaked M mode drive selector and the M1 and M2 sport buttons on the steering wheel.

No launch date for the X3 M CP has been confirmed, although reports have claimed mid-2019 as a possibility.