Do you remember when representatives at BMW said they would never make a supercar? Apparently, they lied. What they meant to say was that they’d never make a purely internal combustion engine supercar. Instead, the Bavarians have been planning a true plug-in hybrid supercar all along.
When the BMW Vision iNEXT made its debut, it was quite shocking to a lot of the fanbase. Its focus on autonomy and technology felt like the antithesis of what a BMW is supposed to be — the Ultimate Driving Machine. For fans that felt disappointment upon seeing the iNEXT, fear not. The Bavarians now have a concept supercar for the future of drivers and performance. The BMW Vision M NEXT.>
“The BMW Vision M NEXT provides a glimpse into the future of sporty driving,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “Where the BMW Vision iNEXT illustrated how autonomous driving is set to transform life on board our vehicles, the BMW Vision M NEXT demonstrates how state-of-the-art technology can also make the experience of driving yourself purer and more emotionally engaging. In both models, the focus is firmly on the people inside. Design and technology make the ‘EASE’ and ‘BOOST’ experiences more natural and more intense.”
While the BMW Vision M NEXT is about driving, it’s also about relaxation. This is a concept for the future, after all, and the future needs to have autonomy. However, the autonomy in the M NEXT isn’t designed to take driving pleasure away. In fact, it’s sort of there to do the opposite. In the BMW Vision M NEXT, EASE mode will allow drivers to turn the interior into a relaxation pod, letting the car take over and handle the mundane parts of driving. Why drive through gridlock traffic or mind-numbing stretches of highway? Let the car do that.
When you want to take over though, as the driver, that’s when you switch it into BOOST mode. According to BMW, BOOST mode is designed to be the “ultimate active driving experience”. It’s also when you get to unleash its full performance potential.
Powering the BMW Vision M NEXT is a plug-in hybrid powertrain that uses a setup similar in layout to the BMW i8 but one that’s so much more exciting. The M NEXT uses a four-cylinder turbocharged engine mounted behind the driver, in combination with electric motors, to make 600 hp. Even better than that, drivers will be able to choose between electrified all-wheel drive or pure rear-wheel drive. Can you hear the sound of scorching tires from a mid-engine BMW? We sure can.
There’s also a “BOOST+” mode that allows for even more power for a short period of time. This isn’t uncommon in EVs, where a specific mode allows a temporary boost of power, designed to accelerate harder than normal but without overheating the batteries. At max power, all of its 600 hybridized horses and all-wheel drive are said to propel the BMW Vision M NEXT from 0-62 mph in just three seconds. When you want to slow things down, it can also drive in pure EV mode, with a total electric range of 62 miles. That last bit won’t impress the Tesla crowd but the BMW Vision M NEXT is primarily designed to be an electrified performance car; a car that uses the best technology available to get the most performance possible. It’s not designed to be a max-range, hyper-efficient EV. The all-electric range is added so that customers can drive like a lunatic when they want but also emit zero emissions in cities where future regulations will demand such driving.
Sounds good, right? Have your cake and eat it, too. And yet, we haven’t even gotten to its looks yet.
Fans have been begging for a BMW supercar for what seems like centuries. Ever since the tragic demise of the BMW M1, enthusiasts of the Bavarian brand have wanted a follow up, a successor to one of the most iconic BMWs of all time. For years, rumors have swirled before getting squashed by BMW reps. Now, though, a BMW supercar is right here in front of our faces. The BMW Vision M NEXT might not be marketed as such a car but, just look at it, there’s no denying that it’s a proper supercar.
Its design is a cross between the BMW i8 and the M1 Hommage and it looks fantastic. There’s a stubby wedginess (that’s not a word) to it that’s reminiscent of the Giugiaro-designed BMW M1 from the ’70s. There’s also some second-gen Acura NSX in there, which is no bad thing. Mostly, though, I see the BMW M1 Hommage concept, a car so fantastic looking that fans still talk about it today. The C-pillar vents, the louvered rear window, its spindle-thin taillights with BMW Roundels in them — harking back to the original M1 — all combine to make the Vision M NEXT the BMW supercar we’ve been waiting for. Regardless of what BMW might call it.
“The BMW Vision M NEXT is a progressive hybrid sports car that makes a very clear and confident statement, in terms of both appearance and interaction,” said Domagoj Dukec, Vice President BMW Design
That stunning body work gets carbon fiber everywhere, with some of it exposed and some of it painted. The two-tone paint job of Cast Silver metallic and Thrilling Orange make for one striking supercar and we hope those colors are available on the production version, even if they’re just offered in isolation and not in combination. One of the really cool bits about this car is its Kidney Grille design. For starters, they’re relatively small by modern BMW standards. But being a plug-in hybrid, those grilles aren’t real. Instead, they’re closed off by a transparent panel that’s laser etched and backlit to make it look as if it’s floating inside.
Another interesting aspect of the BMW Vision M NEXT’s design is its headlight arrangement. BMW has long had twin-circle headlights, side-by-side. It’s a BMW tradition dating back decades and decades. However, for the first time maybe ever, this BMW doesn’t have even semi-circular headlights. Instead, two horizontal bars, with little loops at one end of each, are arranged vertically. This keeps the dual headlight design in place by shows a massive leap forward.
Not only that but the tech used to create them is unheard of in the industry. Rather than even laser lights, these light bars are made from glass fiber that’s coated in phosphorous and they’re called Laser Wire headlights. The same tech is used in the taillights as well.
While the outside is all wedgy, high-tech supercar, the interior is futuristic minimalist. The driver sits low and cocooned by the cabin, with nothing but a steering wheel and two floating, curved transparent screens ahead. The steering wheel itself is a funky shape and features no buttons or gimmicks. It’s just a steering wheel. Or so it seems. The rest of the cabin is completely devoid of visible tech, making it quite relaxing to the eye.
Don’t let that minimalism fool you, though. The cabin of the BMW Vision M NEXT is packed with tech. For instance, those transparent screens, combined, are called the “Boost Pod”. They can display all sorts of information and they’re designed to be the main focal point of the driver’s cockpit. “The entire interior is focused on the BOOST Pod. The geometry has a deliberately low-key feel so that the driver can concentrate fully on the driving experience,” explains Domagoj Dukec.
The rest of the tech is hidden away. For instance, the BMW Vision M NEXT is said to have an augmented reality Head-Up display but you can’t see it when the car is off. Hell, even the air vents are hidden so that the dash and interior look like they’re made from a single piece of cabin. This is intentional, though, as BMW wanted to make this car about driving and letting the technology assist in the background, quietly. The best part, though, is the gyroscopic cupholder that’s able to compensate for lateral g-forces to keep drinks from spilling. Amazing.
“In the BMW Vision M NEXT, intelligent technologies help the driver and deliver the right content at the right time. Operation is clear and intuitive, with all information presented in the driver’s direct field of view. This is a deliberate counterpoint to the BMW Vision iNEXT, which focused on multimodal operation from every seat,” says Dukec.
It’s not all just techno-wiz-bangery, though. There’s still some old-school, good ole fashioned material quality. “We have designed a modern and luxurious interior with the help of innovative materials. Whereas its geometry is clear and restrained, individual details are showcased like top-class accessories,” says Dukec. Though, BMW tried to keep the leather down, for various reason, so it’s only in places where hands easily fall to place, such as the steering wheel.
The BMW Vision M NEXT is a very exciting car. It might not be what you wanted or what you were hoping for but it’s hard to not be optimistic about it. Just its looks alone are enough to inspire the BMW enthusiast in all of us. It genuinely looks like a modern BMW M1 and its mid-engined layout with 600 hp make it a proper BMW supercar, never mind its hybrid nature. With looks this good, a driver-focused interior, a focus on performance and excitement and enough power to threaten Ferraris, the BMW Vision M NEXT is a very exciting and interesting view into the future of BMW performance cars.
BMW Vision M Next Design
BMW Vision M Next Studio Shots
BMW Vision M Next Design Process
BMW Vision M Next Design Sketches
BMW Vision M Next Infographics
BMW Vision M Next Live Photos
Other than the crazy orange colour and the rear windshield it looks interesting.
Pity BMW will not make this “supercar.”
Why bother in the first place?
@Nico: did they say for sure that they will build this? If so then the performance figures I see there are not that impressive, they are just standard compared to what current supercars have.
Looking at the description this is an i8 successor, more GT than a race-bred supercar…
Think this is going to be engineered as a supercar fit for race track and less GT than current i8. BMW currently have a number of capable high performance GT cars in their lineup (8er, M850i, M8, 6GT etc) and even more coming (8GC, M8GC50i, M8GC etc).
Of today’s “supercars”, which are “race-bred”? M8 GTE? M850i? Which debuted @ LeMans after former had already raced there? Or Lamborghini or Tesla, neither of which have a racing history (certainly not a successful one, regardless of their 0-60s). Porsche? Whose volume is now rebadged VAG SUVs? Ferrari? McLaren? Whose production vehicles resemble their race vehicles in name only? McLaren’s newest model is called GT, why is GT a bad thing? Aston has raced & made GTs for decades, as Ferrari used to. Thus the phrase road AND track. And since GT should have room for luggage, how does this qualify? Or≤4 sec. 0-60 i8?
It appears it’s definitely going to be built, just like iNEXT has been built and undergoing tests at the moment. M Next seems to be the M version of next gen i8 so there’s a strong possibility of a plain version (non-M) with less horsepower but don’t expect that to arrive until much much later, if at all.
I don’t know if they said they’d for sure build this car (Horatiu is in Munich with BMW so maybe he knows) but we know the iNEXT is coming for certain. So I think this will be made as well.
They will build it, I will reveal the year soon.
Thanks for the info… looking forward to the developments on this car.
Wow, so BMW found their cajones again!
Let us open a bottle of Sekt and celebrate!
I only pray they will use a CF tub like the i8.
With the same 2.0l engine from M135i, instead of S58 engine from M3?
4 cylinders was always the target and it’s nice to see they’ve achieved that in a futuristic supercar. Hopefully they retire that MINI 3 cylinder engine from all BMW cars for good.
Seeing this being the M version of next gen “i8”, does that indicate a plain version would also be available, with probably less horsepower or tech etc?
I3 engine big in European countries where they tax by displacement or power.
Mmm yeah but paltry performance figures from 3 cylinder engine takes so much away from what i8 would’ve been. Buyers in i8 price band are not usually types to worry about car tax that much besides the difference between taxes on 3 cylinders from 4 cylinders is likely negligible.
Mmm, okay. But I think the cnet road/show feature on the M550i prototype with 3 electric motors & 7,000 lb./ft. of torque holds even more interest for the future of BMW performance. Apparently BMW’s 1st supercar is a sedan named Lucy.
Is it just me or does nobody notice the separated grills…
“The Future of Performance” isn’t “grills…”
The i8 looks better than this unfortunately, the tail lights and headlights are just wrong.
Or too far into the future for most. Bulbs are dead, baby.
haha I guess so, but i8 was and is still loved so it may do good sales wise just it does seem wrong but overtime maybe it will be accepted.
This is BMW reshaping the future without revealing too much detail. Breaking molds, breaking minds, as always. Don’t be alarmed ye of little vision, soon, most will be copying what BMW has started here.
I have figured why BMW concept cars look so ‘unfinished’. This is only pointing toward a distant (but closer than you think) future. The eventual production model will loosely resemble this shape, but, by that time, they will have ‘figured’ out the details and proportions.
See this as a synopsis of the whole story.
Why do BMW’s concept designs always seems to have such tiny headlights and tailights?? They’re part of a car’s personality and without them, the cars look strange. That said, this car looks way better than any of that Hommage crap.
Bmw should better concentrate on making SUV’s, sedans, coupés etc and let other car manufacturers produce exciting, good looking and real supercars. Sorry, but this concept gets only 5 of 10 points from me.
Highly doubt you’ll find another high performance 4 cylinder hybrid supercar out there. Others are going for 6 or 8 cylinder hybrid (Merc, Ferrari, McLaren, Lambo etc) which is hypercar territory and would be shortlived/curtailed by 2022-2030 regulations. By the way, this isn’t the finished product and production version will turn out great.
I will take this one exactly.
Nah, eight days ago you wanted to take two more cylinders from me.
I don’t really feel that M Vision NEXT is up to par with today’s sportscar standards. Emission regularities 2030 are still far away and we all grew up following supercars from Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche with stunning design and they all have 2 or 4 cylinders more than Bmw’s Vision M NEXT. I just don’t feel what M is doing. What prevents Bmw from offering 2 or 4 cylinders more in the i8 Next Gen, when today’s ordinary M cars own 6 and 8 cylinders and even genuine supercars like Ferrari, Lamborghini still have them? I expect alot more from a 2 wing doors hybrid car beyond 160K that pretends to be a sportcar than only just 4 cylinders hybrid with boring design.
Your Lamborghini is waiting. If you have to ask, then no it is not.
Your inline 6 hybrid from Bmw is waiting. I asked about it and you said yes. :-)
https://www.bmwblog.com/2019/06/17/bmw-m-boss-were-looking-into-making-bespoke-m-models/#disqus_thread
Horatiu so that means a bmw hybrid supercar will be coming in future? i know bmw say “sportscar” but really it means supercar
This is the hybrid sportscar
So, maybe that’s all the i8 hybrid test vehicles I keep seeing, I saw another one on Sunday – maybe they are testing the drive train of this beast.
I bet you might be right if you are in München or Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
C’mon Horatiu, no chances for a supercar hybrid with inline 6 and with more exciting design?
production i mean
That’s what I’m talking about. A driver focused electric/hybrid/ICE drivetrain (take your pick) in a halo car design, kind of like the NSX, the design is audacious but the technology will eventually trickle down to the rest of the model line. Anti-autonomy all the way baby!
We’re “Told” that the future will go from individual
drivers in charge of their own vehicles, to autonomous transportation. Well I say bullsh*t to autonomy.
Looks like a DeLorean, GTR, and Lambo had a baby.
You are missing the M1 influences.
Glad to see the kidney grill hasn’t become the beaver teeth grill. Sad to see any form of the halos in the headlines vanish, as well as any form of realistic taillights… Looks like a Lambo crossed with the i8.
Maybe they should figure out a way to merge the halos and kidneys so that all 4 light up in homage to the the dual halo headlights if they are in fact just lighting up the kidneys like this.
Halos have been around for only 20 years. But a running light surrounding of the headlights would seem to be mandatory now that everyone else has one of one form or the other..
Hello Clarice Starling, my name is K.I.T.T. Do u want to take a romantic drive with me?
I wonder if some of the design cues from this car will go over to the next-gen i8?
So this is headed for production ASAP, right?
Fools if they do not.