Back in the 1980s and 1990s we were lucky to get one new car out of BMW’s M division every couple of years. But in 2024 BMW’s performance arm will unleash half a dozen new vehicles and special editions, including the hybrid M5 sedan and wagon.
The M guys haven’t forgotten their coupe fans, though. The base M2 will get a mild refresh and power hike this year, and as these pictures show, the R&D team has been busy cooking up CS versions of both the M2 and M4, and recently let the pair loose on a frozen Scandinavian lake. The M2 hasn’t got the deep front splitter seen in earlier spy shots, probably because it could be easily damaged by a snow bank, but there’s no mistaking the reshaped trunk spoiler.
Though the M2 CS and M4 CS both feature two-door bodies and use versions of the same 3.0-liter inline six, they’re likely to appeal to different customers, and not only because the M4 is around 9 inches (230 mm) longer and will wear a much bigger price tag.
Related: BMW M Hints At New Models And Special Editions For 2024
The M2 CS will be pitched as the purist’s choice, be offered with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, and send its power exclusively to the rear wheels. The M4 CS, on the other hand, if it follows the template laid down by last year’s M3 CS sedan, will only be available with xDrive all-wheel drive and the ZF eight-speed auto.
Intel suggests the base M2’s engine is in line for an upgrade from the current stock car’s 453 hp (460 PS) to the 473 hp (480 PS) delivered by the non-Competition M3 and M4. Which must mean the M2 CS will get the M3/M4 Competition’s 503 hp (510 PS) mill. And the since the M3 CS arrived packing the same 543 hp (550 PS) as the M4 CSL, it makes sense that the M4 CS will enjoy the same boost.
But even if the two new CS coupes have some crucial differences under the skin, they’ll also have plenty in common. Expect to see weight saving tricks in both, perhaps greater use of carbon fiber, and suspension tweaks that will make each one sharper to drive than its donor. And expect to have to fight off thousands of other BMW fans to get one.
