The base M car is going away as the BMW M CEO has announced that “Competition” will effectively become the entry point into the lineup of a fully fledged M car. The disclosure was made by Frank van Meel in an interview with Car Throttle during which he also explained why the company charges extra for the M2 G87’s manual gearbox.
“We’re not going to split any longer between M and M Competition, it will all be competition in the future.” This process has already started considering the X3 M and X4 M have been offered exclusively in Competition guise since mid-2021, in certain markets. Similarly, the X5 M and X6 M were facelifted earlier this year and now come only as Competition models. Launched last year, the M3 Touring is available strictly in Competition flavor, and we can say the same about the M8s.
Going forward, the hierarchy will kick off with Competition and continue with CS and CSL. New M cars are on the horizon as no fewer than five models are going to be introduced in 2024: M3 LCI, M4 LCI, M4 CS, M5, and M5 Touring. These have already been officially confirmed, and while the M2 CS hasn’t, it’s likely to debut next year as well.
Rumor has it the non-CS M2 is getting more power, and that seems like a good opportunity to introduce an M2 Competition as the new base model. Speaking of extra potency, we’ve been hearing reports about BMW being interested in giving the xDrive-equipped M3 and M4 an upgraded inline-six engine. On the subject of all-wheel drive, an M2 sending power to both axles is also being mooted and could arrive as early as 2026.
Meanwhile, the hotly anticipated M5 Sedan (G90) and M5 Touring (G99) will break cover at some point next year as the second-most powerful BMW M cars ever. The dynamic duo is expected to offer a little over 700 horsepower but without stepping on the XM Label Red’s toes.
Source: Car Throttle
