Widespread electrification of the automobile is a divisive subject in the auto enthusiast community. On the one hand, electric cars offer effortless acceleration. On the other hand, taking the internal combustion engine out of the equation leaves many believing driving an EV hardly qualifies as “motoring” at all. It’s a topic that is impossible to ignore as an automaker — but especially when you’re BMW M, a marque that leans on its motorsport heritage so hard it’s literally the name of the brand. But electrification doesn’t have BMW M CEO Frank van Meel worried. Words he shared with the press at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este indicated quite the opposite.
BMW M Has Always Been More Than Just a Drivetrain
When it comes to BMW — and M cars like the M3, specifically — sales and performance figures have always contradicted the naysayers when it comes to replacing a beloved generation with the next big thing. Frank dramatically illustrates this by walking through each generation of the M3 and the in-period criticisms it received. When the E36 M3 replaced the original, four-pot E30 M3: “Four-cylinder engines were what you needed to have. Then we changed to six-cylinder, naturally aspirated engines. And everyone said, ‘Why six? Why should I do it?’ But then everyone drove the car, and, actually, it was an M3, and we sold more than with the four-cylinder range. Then we changed to V8, high rev,” he says, pausing. He’s talking, of course, about the E90 M3 that succeeded the E46 M3. “The same thing, again; more weight on the front axle, weight distribution,” echoing enthusiasts of the day’s concerns about moving to a V8. “But again, it was an M3 and it drove like an M3 and everyone was happy, and we sold more than before.” The trend, as you can imagine, holds true with the F80 and its turbocharged inline-six.
“Now, we are currently looking into going to a pure electric one, which actually, again, will drive better than all its predecessors, and will be as emotional as its predecessors as well,” Frank says. He’s referring to the upcoming all-electric M3, which has already been spotted testing on the Nürburgring. “It’s going to be a typical M, it’s just going to be much quicker,” van Meel says. “It’s even more precise and even quicker than everything you’ve seen before.” He draws another parallel to the introduction of M xDrive on the F90 M5. Frank says describing it as all-wheel drive simply doesn’t do it justice; it was always rear-wheel drive with additional traction. “Everyone was afraid that the car would just go straight forward, no rear wheel bias dynamics anymore. And then everyone noticed it’s rear wheel drive with more traction,” he said.
To van Meel’s credit, he makes some very good points. M cars have always bounced around with different drivetrains; arguably, the only true standard is that intangible “M-ness”. “Every time you sit in an M, and you drive an M, you say, ‘this is an M…I didn’t exactly know what I expected, but now that I’m in the car, that’s it,’ and it’s all about emotion in motorsport, and that is more or less independent from the drivetrain.” Anyone who has driven more than one or two M vehicles — particularly, the M SUVs — will likely understand the sentiment.
Neue Klasse is Built to Be “the Perfect M Car”
But BMW M’s ability to capture M-ness isn’t the only reason van Meel seems excited for BMW M EVs. BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse (NCAR) models will be imbued with M-ness from the ground up. Notably, the architecture is a bit of a departure from what BMW’s doing on a large scale today. Largely, the current offerings are platform sharing with gasoline models (see the i4, i5, i7). NK models “are built for the single purpose of making the perfect electric car,” Frank says, “and that you can see in driving dynamics, range, everything. Everything we need for M in the Neue Klasse had to be integrated in the whole setup of the Neue Klasse right from the start.” Frank goes on to say that sometimes, if the M DNA isn’t already in consideration from the onset of the platform’s design, “it’s sometimes impossible to add it.”
A large portion of what makes the Neue Klasse set up to be a real stunner? BMW’s Heart of Joy. Frank says it’s a win-win; every NK vehicle comes with Heart of Joy and enjoys those inherent advantages. While standard NK cars will have a lot of M features integrated, there’s still much to do. “We can adapt everything we need on top for M into that to make the perfect M car,” he says. Power output, cooling, charging, and dynamics are the key sticking points. These finer details are, according to Frank, “what makes M, M.”
He’s the M Boss For a Reason
It’s hard to deny that Frank van Meel, CEO of BMW M, might know a thing or two about what makes an M car come alive. “I’m a racer, I’m a car guy. I’m a crazy car guy,” Frank starts. “What we’re currently doing with electrification, once that comes to the market, you will say ‘I didn’t see that coming.’” Don’t forget: BMW plans to offer a manual, gas-powered M3 as long as possible, too. “We will offer both,” Frank says. But he views that as a good thing, an advantage that will ultimately benefit customers. “We have the best benchmark in house with the six-cylinder M3 right now, and we are pushing the limits there. And on the other hand, we have the electrified M3 also pushing limits,” he says. “And maybe you just say, ‘I buy both.’” Maybe, Frank. Maybe.
