BMW M GmbH is enjoying great success as the German brand’s performance division with growing sales and an ever-expanding range of models. Speaking to Auto Motor Und Sport, Marcus Flasch, who headed BMW M until recently, claimed that there will definitely be a standalone M model in the future.
Last month, Frank Van Meel returned to the position of the CEO of BMW M GmbH, effectively replacing Marcus Flasch who after a very successful three-year term in that role got promoted within the BMW Group taking charge of Rolls-Royce and mid- and upper-range BMW product line. Despite leaving the post, Marcus is very well aware of BMW M’s future strategy as he is the one who created it.
In his latest interview, he spoke about the possibility of an independent M model, saying “there will definitely be a standalone M model again”. Our colleagues at Auto Motor Und Sport persisted in asking him if the new flagship will be a sportscar and got the following reply:
“Motorsport and high-performance on the road are still the core of our brand. However, we also want to retain customers who are into expressive luxury. With the M8 and its derivatives, we have already succeeded in some cases, but there is a segment in which there is a lot going on and in which we are not yet represented. I can not say more about that.”
Read Also: BMW To Unveil Hybrid XM Concept SUV On November 29
As a reminder, the last standalone model from the Munich-based performance division was the BMW M1, a Giugiaro-designed mid-engined supercar that was produced in limited numbers between 1978 and 1981. For its 30th anniversary in 2008, BMW unveiled the M1 Hommage purely as a design study not destined for production. Flasch’s comments on “the segment that BMW is not yet represented” could hint at a mid-engined model. However, back in 2019, he said that the role of a supercar has effectively been filled by the M8, so chances are that he is talking about something quite different.
The upcoming BMW XM scheduled to debut in concept form on November 29 could be a preview for the production model in question since it will technically be a flagship for both the current BMW and BMW M range. Thanks to a rumored plug-in hybrid powertrain consisting of a twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor for a combined output upwards of 750 hp, the performance SUV could become BMW’s most powerful production vehicle ever.
Another option would be the first fully electric M that is confirmed to arrive after 2025. More specifically, in the same interview Flasch promised that from the second half of the decade, BMW M will be offering ICE-only, hybrid, and fully electric models “which complement each other perfectly”. BMW will reportedly introduce the Neue Klasse platform in 2025 as a scalable architecture that will eventually underpin the entire range, including M-badged models.
Given the cryptic nature of Flasch’s statements, we can only speculate on the upcoming M flagship. However, with the reveal of the rumored XM in only a few weeks’ time, we might soon have an answer.
