The most affordable way of getting into the BMW M ownership these days is by buying the new M135i. The hot hatch packs an M-tuned all-wheel drive system and has 302 horsepower, which puts it in the same zone as the Audi S3 Sportback and Mercedes-AMG A35.
But will we ever see a lesser BMW M car, perhaps targeting the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Renault Megane RS, Ford Focus ST and other front-wheel drive hot hatchbacks? According to the division’s chief, Markus Flasch, who spoke to the media on the subject during the M Festival in South Africa, that would be a definite ‘no’, as quoted by CarAdvice.
Also Watch: New M135i Has Plenty Of Talent But Doesn’t Feel Like A Traditional BMW
“We have a very strong offering in the M2, so we figure there’s no need to have a high-performance car based on the 2-Series and then a performance car based on the [new] 1-Series”, he said. “The M135i xDrive is very attractive in the performance segment, but if you really want high performance, customers will always go for the M2. [This] is the most charismatic and purest model that we have, and we’re working on a successor. There is no reason to do something different with the 1-Series.”
On a related issue, Flasch said the M2 CS will be launched in global markets around mid-2020. Currently in testing phase, it will slot above the M2 Competition and will rival the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG CLA 45. It will pack the 3.0-liter, twin-turbo straight-six engine from the M3 and M4, like the M2 Competition, but with its output raised close to 450 PS (444 hp / 331 kW).
“[The M2 CS] is probably the most crisp and pure BMW M model we have launched in quite some time”, the M Division’s chief. “It’s phenomenal and drives like a race car with license plates.”
Note: 2020 BMW M135i xDrive pictured
