The Future Of BMW's M Division

[JoshCalkins]

BMW M5

BMW's M Division is in a bit of a tough spot right now. On the plus side, they sold close to 25,000 M vehicles in the 2008 business year, the largest sales ever for the division and an increase of about 50% over 2007. On the other hand, increased emissions regulations in both the United States and Europe mean that M may have to change some of their ways, most noticeably in the trimming of engine sizes.


Yesterday, Ludwig Willisch, the head of M Division, concluded a media round table discussion of the sector's future. In that discussion, he confirmed the existence of the turbocharged four-cylinder 1-Series Super Sport, discussed earlier in the week, but placed the release date in the 2013 or 2014 model year, instead of 2012 as reported earlier. He also said that the 1 Series model may get a name change to the 1-Series M, but nothing had been decided yet.

BMW M3

The big changes he announced, however, regarded the M3. The 3-Series is due for a redesign in the 2013 model year, and the M3 that will accompany it will not be powered by a V8, as current models are, and will adopt a six-cylinder engine instead. That six-cylinder engine will not be based on the current inline six that powers many BMWs like the new Z4, but instead will be of an entirely new design. And, hold onto your seats, it may end up being a V6, not an inline six.


The reason for a V6 is that the engine would be shorter than an inline six, meaning that the bulk of the front end's weight could be shifted entirely behind the front axle. An inline six is not completely out of the question, though. One tenet that Willisch subscribes to is that every new generation of M does not have to be more powerful than the previous one. As long as a new vehicle weighs less, it can deliver a more exhilirating drive than its predecessor, even with a less powerful engine. This gives hope to the inline six lovers because those engines are generally lighter than their V-configured brethren. Whichever engine style is decided on, it will definitely get one turbo, if not two, Willisch said.

2008 BMW M6

As for the M5 and M6, they will also see changes around the 2012 or 2013 model year. The 5-Series and 6-Series are both due for platform changes about that time, and the new M5s and M6s will likely drop their V10 engines in favor of V8s. BMW M has been working on a brand new V8 that will be featured in the X5 M and X6 M (which will debut at this year's New York International Auto Show in April), and a variant of that V8 will likely power the next generation M5 and M6.

BMW Z4 M Coupe

One final note: there will be no new M roadster based on the new Z4. Willisch cites the current economic situation, saying that there would be no place for a new Z4 M in the car market. However, there may be a software upgrade offered for the Z4 that will remap the ECU on the twin-turbo models, giving a boost of about 20 horsepower and a slight increase in torque.


All of this news, while interesting, should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, it was just two years ago when Willisch said that there would definitely not be an M version of any X Series model, and now they're less than a month away from debuting.

[Blackice]

Nice work Josh ! You have won yourself an endless beer

I wonder if there will be enough pressure on the car manufactures of North America, to build better diesel engines like they are building in the UK. The technology is there.....

I also wonder if anyone will make a diesel electric based car. There has to be some serious potential form a small diesel engine that charges a battery bank.

[JoshCalkins]

Originally Posted by Blackice I also wonder if anyone will make a diesel electric based car. There has to be some serious potential form a small diesel engine that charges a battery bank.

There's something of the sort currently in the works at GM. They have a Cadillac concept called the Converj (which is being billed as a more luxurious big brother to the upcoming Chevy Volt), and it has a gasoline powered engine that charges a battery bank, with all-electric drive. When and if the car hits the road, North American markets will probably only get a gas-powered model, but GM has made plenty of diesel models for European markets, so there will likely be a diesel-powered variant.

While this is good news technologically, there is no way any European in their right mind would buy a Cadillac with all the other diesel options they have, so a diesel Converj would probably make a splash at an auto show and then die a lonely death on the showroom floor.

[Mr. Red]

I like the fact that BMW will be going to smaller displacement motors again. Lighter=more fun. I think inline 6s are the best kind of engines out there.

[JoshCalkins]

Originally Posted by Mr. Red I like the fact that BMW will be going to smaller displacement motors again. Lighter=more fun. I think inline 6s are the best kind of engines out there.

I couldn't agree more. Plus, because M is designing a whole new engine, it will have to do two things: meet the tough upcoming emissions standards for both the EU and the US; and deliver enough power to preserve the M heritage. Once that engine makes its way into the regular models, that's going to be a lot of fun.