While its competitors are bringing out an onslaught of hardcore hothatches, BMW isn’t keen on entering the fray, neither does it want a four-cylinder model under its BMW M range, CarAdvice reports.
Although it already has the BMW M135i hatch with a twin scroll-turbocharged 3.0 litre six-cylinder making 326 hp and 450 Nm, the competition has much more to offer, including all-wheel drive. As a comparison, the Mercedes-AMG A 45 has a total of 381 hp and 475 Nm, the Audi RS3 Sportback with 367 PS and 465 Nm, while the Ford Focus RS has 350 PS and up to 470 Nm of torque.
Despite that, members from the M division told the portal that the hatchback segment isn’t necessarily one of the segments that it’s looking to enter. Furthermore, an all-wheel drive hot-hatch is far from what the brand wants, according to BMW M head of product management, Carsten Pries.
“As long as we have a rear-wheel drive basis, it matches so perfectly with what we want to bring across as an experience, as a feeling” Pries said, adding “motorsport is still rear-wheel-driven.” A six-cylinder engine is still very much something that the M division wants to keep alive, according to Pries.
To add to that, Pries said that a four-cylinder BMW M model is not what is expected of the company, neither is there a desire to have one. “I hope not. Because we obviously like in-line six-cylinder engines at BMW – they’re part of our DNA. They create a lot of excitement, they generate all the power you need, and also this hallmark sound that we have,” Pries said.
BMW M2 chief engineer Frank Isenberg concurred, but didn’t deny that it could happen eventually. “At the moment I would say no,” he said. “In five, eight years? I can’t say. I don’t believe, and I don’t hope. But as you’ve seen in the last couple of years, we’ve expanded to other cars – so it would be wrong to say no,” Isenberg concluded.
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Never say never. With tighter emission controls worldwide they might need to offer it in the future
Fook emission crap here. Motorsport is always about power thus pollution! Drive your 316i and sh*t up
Only a real idiot would encourage higher emissions. Don’t you care for your children to breathe cleaner air?
Or you just think about your own gain, gratification and joy?
Uncivilized person are like that
Of course he’s an idiot. He doesn’t realise that some of his bullsht abt pakatan is actually embarrassing the bn govt that he loves.
Sat on in-line 6 F30 first batch, all I can say is: Superb & creamy engine…… You can’t feel it in a 4-pot. Unfortunately & very sadly in Malaysia the price is RM490K 335i compare to RM309K 328i (almost RM200K) and haven’t plus Road Tax. And too M’sian can dream on or forget it BMW Malaysia will CKD F30 3.0L here!!!!
Not to say downsizing to 4-cylinder engine (or 2.0 liter based on ideal engine displacement of 500cc per cylinder) is a bad thing (at least they can save quite a lot on road tax payment especially those countries that imposed road tax based on engine displacement including Malaysia), but the 4-cylinder engine might be highly stressed to achieve such high horsepower compared with 6-cylinder engine.
Perhaps, a 6-cylinder engine with cylinder deactivation technology still the good idea in order to reduce the emission output further into compliance level.
Talk crap lar this german folks. Still recall they says they will never do a fwd car. Tada….BMW soccer mom car 2 series is FWD and the next 1 series will follow suit.
The world is going for smaller more efficient engine. Now 3 series poor man wanker using 3 cyclinder engine like perodua….(kelakar lar).
Haha it means they’re smart marketers that’s all
Still remember when they said there will never be a forced induction M. Or when nobody thought they would ever make an SUV M.
Sorry Mr Chief Engineer, but the money people seems to always win in the end.
BMW can talk all they want. Nobody is going to believe them after they made a big u-turn on front-wheel drive.
Case in point: the BMW 2-series Active Tourer is a car that is perfectly what a BMW shouldn’t be.
Hallmark sound? More like the lack of it.
so this is what BMW proud to be rear wheel than quattro . awd/.. come onnn. all crash at nurbugring https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wClYhdiCSHs