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Filed under: Performance, BMW, Luxury
Car and Driver asked the head of
BMW M, Friedrich Nitschke, a few questions about what the go-fast division had in mind for the future, and was rewarded with some enlightening answers. The best news to purist ears is that Nitschke said customers don't want all-wheel drive on their M cars, so it's the rear wheels alone that will propel new product into the future. If you want both an M badge and four driven wheels, it's the
X5 M,
X6 M and M Performance models you're looking for in the catalog.
"Mixed bag" is the phrase you're looking for regarding the other answers. Nitschke said that future M engines "at the core of their architecture" would "be closer to BMW AG engines" that are optimized for M cars, instead of following in the line of unique marvels like the V10 and naturally aspirated V8. They will keep the high redlines, however, with Nitschke saying "there is room beyond" the 7,000 rpm mark in BMW's current V8 turbos.
Managing weight will keep the same priority for M that it is for every other brand, so electrically assisted power steering is coming, as is an "unconventional" materials mix. At the smaller end of the M scale, Nitschke described three-cylinder engines as "attractive," saying that the brand can produce more than 310 horsepower from a three-pot.
As for the current
M3, it's all gone. Nitschke said the company has about six more months of coupe and convertible production, but the units to come already have customers "on principle."
BMW says current M3 sold out, no new AWD M models planned originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 May 2013 08:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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May 6th, 2013
January 28th, 2013
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, BMW, Design/Style
So you are one of the 6,309 lucky drivers to own the terrifically excellent
BMW 1 Series M Coupe, but don't feel like it sets you apart enough from the rest of us? Well first, we have the tiniest violin in the world, ready to play a sad song. Once that is out of the way,
BMW has some very unique gear for you. Pierre Leclercq, the Manager of Design for M Automobiles, has come out with a polo shirt that will be available only to 1 Series M Coupe owners. Each shirt will have the owner's name embroidered on the left sleeve, and the silhouette of their car will be emblazoned on the back of the shirt. It is is even stitched in the color of the owner's car!
The shirts are limited to one per vehicle, and owners are able to order a shirt by entering their VIN when placing the order online. Each shirt is produced as a one-off, specifically designed for the owner of said 1 M Coupe, making the act of wearing one a sort of 'secret handshake' for 1 Series M Coupe owners. Nice.
Continue reading BMW creates exclusive polo shirt for 1 Series M Coupe owners
BMW creates exclusive polo shirt for 1 Series M Coupe owners originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 27th, 2012
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, BMW, Luxury
Automobile has taken a look into the medium-term future product plans of the German automakers, and one of the interesting nuggets is that
BMW is still working on an M8. An updated
BMW M1 has been a fantasy since the last of the 456 original M1s rolled off the line in 1981, and we're told that the coming M8 will finally be the proper successor.
Apparently there's still some conflict to be worked through: company CEO Norbert Reithofer isn't exactly sold on it, whereas M Division president Friedrich Nitschke "doesn't take no for an answer." If you'll remember, the
1 Series M Coupe had to leap the same hurdles, the BMW brass not smitten with the business-case numbers, but Kay Segler, M Division president at the time, pushed it through. And we saw how well that worked out.
BMW's M8 Is on the Way, Come Hell or High Water
Another German supercar in the making is the BMW M8. Previously known as the M1, this car is believed to be the halo model that BMW will pull out of the bag to celebrate its centenary in 2016. Chairman Norbert Reithofer, who is not known as a sports car aficionado, views this project with mixed feelings. Having recently decided that the next-generation 1- and 2-series will be built on a new front-/all-wheel-drive matrix, the big boss is reluctant to give a green light to a V-8-powered tarmac peeler.
But Friedrich Nitschke, who runs the M division, doesn't take no for an answer - even if it means tweaking the project so that the M8 can share the carbon-fiber-and-aluminum underpinnings of the super-frugal i8. This approach could kill two birds with one stone by creating significant economies of scale and by giving the 600-hp sports car a weight advantage over its more conventional rivals.
On a lesser scale, Reithofer has personally sealed the fate of the on-off-on Z2 roadster. Apparently the numbers did not work out, and there is not much time left for a compact, rear-wheel-drive platform, which will be mothballed in 2021. If a small, open-top BMW does materialize, it will be front-wheel drive and pooled with an open-top Mini. The Z4 will get a new lease on life, but since the segment is in free fall, the third-generation version needs to combine the existing folding hardtop with a redesigned body and interior.
Read more: Deep Dive: Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen Group All Expand Upmarket - Rumor Central http://rumors.automobilemag.com/deep-dive-mercedes-bmw-and-volkswagen-group-all-expand-upmarket-186231.html#ixzz2Ct9ByEE9
Follow us: @AutomobileMag on Twitter | AutomobileMag on Facebook
BMW's M8 Is on the Way, Come Hell or High Water
Another German supercar in the making is the BMW M8. Previously known as the M1, this car is believed to be the halo model that BMW will pull out of the bag to celebrate its centenary in 2016. Chairman Norbert Reithofer, who is not known as a sports car aficionado, views this project with mixed feelings. Having recently decided that the next-generation 1- and 2-series will be built on a new front-/all-wheel-drive matrix, the big boss is reluctant to give a green light to a V-8-powered tarmac peeler.
But Friedrich Nitschke, who runs the M division, doesn't take no for an answer - even if it means tweaking the project so that the M8 can share the carbon-fiber-and-aluminum underpinnings of the super-frugal i8. This approach could kill two birds with one stone by creating significant economies of scale and by giving the 600-hp sports car a weight advantage over its more conventional rivals.
On a lesser scale, Reithofer has personally sealed the fate of the on-off-on Z2 roadster. Apparently the numbers did not work out, and there is not much time left for a compact, rear-wheel-drive platform, which will be mothballed in 2021. If a small, open-top BMW does materialize, it will be front-wheel drive and pooled with an open-top Mini. The Z4 will get a new lease on life, but since the segment is in free fall, the third-generation version needs to combine the existing folding hardtop with a redesigned body and interior.
Read more: Deep Dive: Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen Group All Expand Upmarket - Rumor Central http://rumors.automobilemag.com/deep-dive-mercedes-bmw-and-volkswagen-group-all-expand-upmarket-186231.html#ixzz2Ct9ByEE9
Follow us: @AutomobileMag on Twitter | AutomobileMag on Facebook
Automobile posits that Nitschke could put the M8 on the same carbon fiber and aluminum platform as the
BMW i8, saving money on the architecture and getting a head start on weight reduction. It's taken 30 years of dreaming to get us this close, and along the way and only recently we've seen concepts like the
BMW M1 Hommage (above), and before that a
rumored twin-turbo V10 with 625 horsepower, as well as a gentler, greener
two-seat Z10 ED with a twin-turbo six cylinder and 400 hp.
Just one year ago BMW told us, "We've discussed these possibilities. But ultimately, we didn't feel the need to make a very exclusive high-end supercar and we still don't." Let's hope that this time Nitschke can close the deal.
BMW M1 successor still on track, to be called M8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 24th, 2012
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, BMW, Design/Style
Matt Mullins has done everything from stunts in movies to driving with the United States secret service, but the
BMW Performance Driving School chief instructor has never done this before. "This" in this case is creating postcards using a
BMW M6 as the printing press.
A pressurized ink system was mounted in the trunk, which spayed ink up at the rear tires. It was controlled via a switch in the cabin of the turbocharged BMW coupe. Mullin then took the M6 out onto the track at Blackhawk Farms Raceway, where pieces of paper were placed in straight lines. Matt just had to spray the ink and drive over the paper, but keeping a high-powered machine such as the M6 in a perfectly straight line is still a little challenging. You'll just have to
check out the video to see how he did.
When it was all over, the results of this little experiment were cut up into one-of-a-kind postcards, which BMW is sending out to M enthusiasts across the country. Sure you could create another
BMW art car, or use the rear tires to do
your best Jackson Pollock, but this way a great many fans will get to own a piece of yet another great intersection of BMW life and the art world.
Continue reading How to make art prints with your BMW M6
How to make art prints with your BMW M6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 22nd, 2012
Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Performance, BMW
When it comes to the
M version of the
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe, we've already seen
spy photos and
video of the car testing, but we've yet to see any shots of it in production trim until now. The new
M6 Gran Coupe has done plenty of testing on the
Nürburgring, but
Car Magazine snapped a picture of the car sitting idle at the 'Ring, which was reportedly on hand for a
BMW event.
Differing from the 640i Gran Coupe, this new four-door M6 looks to have the same aggressive body kit as its coupe counterpart, including the massive front air intakes and vented front fenders. The M6 GC does appear to be getting a unique design for the 20-inch wheels not currently available on other M6 models. Also like the recently released M6, key differences inside the M6 Gran Coupe include an M-exclusive steering wheel that has been completely redesigned from the 640i Gran Coupe and gets the signature red and blue stitching, a different shifter and bezel for the seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission ,and we can also see that this M6 will be equipped with the Auto Stop-Start feature.
Keeping with the M6 similarities, power will almost certainly come from BMW's 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that is currently rated at 560 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. No word yet on pricing, but like the 640i Gran Coupe, the M6 Gran Coupe will likely be positioned between the M6 Coupe ($106,100) and M6 Convertible ($113,100).
BMWBlog says that the M6 Gran Coupe will make its big debut in January at the
Detroit Auto Show before going on sale next summer. To see full shots of the undisguised M6 Gran Coupe, head on over to
Car Magazine.
BMW M6 Gran Coupe caught ahead of official debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 8th, 2012
