Quote:
Originally Posted by ORIGIN M.
Bam.
BMW has absolutely nothing that comes even close.
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And nothing in the pipeline either. The highest they'll go is the X2 M35i M Performance model arriving later this year. This will be positioned against the upcoming second-generation GLA in GLA35 form (a new mid-level entry - there will be a second generation GLA45 above it) and the second generation Q3 in SQ3 guise (again, a new mid-level entry - there will be second generation RSQ3 above it).
When it comes to small vehicles, BMW has elected to split its lineup between two platforms. That's good for coupe/convertible buyers who will be to with a second generation 2 Series coupe and M2 that retain RWD and an inline-six. But those make up a very small piece of the small vehicle market. SUVs (those especially), sedans, and hatchbacks are where the sale are, and BMW is moving them to a FWD platform to better compete in development/production cost with Audi and Mercedes who've been using FWD platforms for this type of vehicle from essentially the get-go.
That by itself doesn't necessarily have to be bad - the small Audi and Mercedes products are mostly quite good. But, since most of BMW's (and, specifically, M Division's) performance R&D budget is being poured into the S55 (soon S58) I6 and the S63 V8, there's not enough left to create a proper high performance "S48" I4 that could match up against the Mercedes M133 (heading up over 400hp soon) and Audi I5 (already at 400hp, more coming soon). That means no proper "1M" hatchback, M2 Gran Coupe, X1 M, nor X2 M since an I6 nor, obviously, a V8 will fit.
Maybe BMW intends to come back next decade with a killer hybrid setup (maybe something like Volvo's T8) to do battle with Audi and Mercedes in the small high performance vehicle segments. But, that's really just wishful thinking, and there are no known plans as of now. To me that's a shame.
Bringing it back around to the topic at hand. No, BMW is not dropping the mic. BMW is, in fact, dropping the ball.
