Every year, BMW Group Malaysia holds a brand showcase to launch its new models, with last year’s MY BMW World hosting the local debut of the latest 2 Series Gran Coupé. This year will see the BMW Clubhouse take place on July 17 to 19 at Factory 19 in Petaling Jaya – and it looks like this time there will be far more exciting stuff that will be introduced here.
The company released a teaser video on social media, and while the car is blurred out, we can just about make out the M3 LCI‘s “fanged” headlights. Also visible are the cross-spoke alloy wheels (19 inches at the front, 20 inches at the rear) that are exclusive to the M3 CS and…hang on a minute – a wagon body?
Yes, we could be looking at the M3 CS Touring being launched in Malaysia. It’s practically unheard of for hardcore CS and CSL models to be brought in through official means, let alone a longroof one. Such is the low demand for wagons that even regular non-M models are only available via indent order, so something like this should be celebrated.
In case you need a refresher, the CS (short for Competition Sport) is a more focused version of the already-wild M3 Touring. A mild lightweighting effort that adds a vented carbon fibre bonnet, a pared-back carbon centre console and standard-fit M Carbon bucket seats result in a 15 kg weight saving over the “standard” model, and there’s also an aggressive front splitter, a more open grille and a smattering of other carbon bits.
The S58 3.0 litre twin-turbo straight-six has also been breathed on the produce an extra 20 PS over stock, at 550 PS and 650 Nm of torque. With the Touring’s standard eight-speed ZF auto and an M xDrive all-wheel drive system, the CS is able to sprint from zero to 100 km/h a tenth of a second quicker at 3.5 seconds, while its top speed with the M Driver’s Package is some 20 km/h higher at 300 km/h.
Additionally, the car gains new engine mounts and retuned steering and adaptive suspension for even sharper handling. Of course, the CS Touring won’t come cheap, not when the M3 Competition sedan with M xDrive already starts from RM847,800.
Another teaser, this time posted on LinkedIn of all places, shows a variety of cars that include an M2 CS, as denoted by those cross-spoke wheels and gaping kidney grilles. The same CS treatment applies here too, with carbon components inside and out (including a ducktail boot lid) slashing 30 kg from the kerb weight, while the fettled suspension drops the ride height by a not-insignificant 30 mm.
The S58 has been slightly defanged for the smaller coupé, but it still makes 530 PS and an unchanged 650 Nm, 50 PS and 50 Nm more than the base M2. Driving only the rear wheels, it nevertheless manages to push the CS to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds – two tenths quicker – on its way to a 17 km/h higher M Driver’s Package top speed of 302 km/h. Again, expect a healthy price increase over the RM656,800 regular M2.
New non-M cars and variants are also promised, although we don’t yet know what these are. The aforementioned LinkedIn teaser also showed the standard 3 Series, X7, iX1, 2 Series Gran Coupé and iX, so there may be new variants of these cars being launched at the Clubhouse. The event, BMW Group Malaysia says, will offer buyers the “power of choice” by showcasing its “technology openness” with electric, plug-in hybrid and internal combustion models.
GALLERY: BMW M3 CS Touring
GALLERY: BMW M2 CS
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
