New 400bhp M2 to arrive in late 2015 and be priced from £45,000; manual transmission and rear-wheel drive offered as standard.
BMW’s M division is preparing to revive the intrinsic spirit and driving appeal of its original six-cylinder powered M3 with a new racy two-door, the 370bhp-plus turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder-powered M2 Coupé.
Depicted above in exclusive computer generated images based on prototypes spied testing at BMW’s M division headquarters on the outskirts of Munich in Germany, the new price-leading M-car has been conceived to sit between the existing M235i and fifth-generation M3. Its price is expected to be around £45,000 when sales kick off in just over 15 months from now.
This will see the new M2 Coupé compete directly with an upgraded version of the Mercedes-AMG A45 and the upcoming second-generation Audi RS3 when it reaches UK showrooms during the first quarter of 2016. A public debut for the new BMW in lightly-veiled concept car guise is planned for next year’s Frankfurt motor show.
As with the earlier limited-volume 1M Coupé, which it indirectly replaces in the BMW M line-up, the M2 Coupé will be powered by a turbocharged 3.0-litre in line six-cylinder direct injection petrol engine. It won’t, however, be the powerplant used by the larger and more expensive four-door M3 and its mechanical identical two-door sibling the M4, according to departing M division boss Friedrich Nitschke.
Described as an all-new development, the S57 B30-designated unit is based around the German car maker’s upcoming B57 powerplant that is planned to make its debut in the sixth-generation 7-series early next year - rather than the older N55 engine that forms the basis of the unit that powers the M3 and M4, the so-called S55 B30.
A heavy cloak of secrecy surrounds the new engine, which is also earmarked to power a range of future petrol powered ‘M Performance’ models for BMW M’s subordinate go-faster brand. Nitschke revealed it could develop up to 400bhp in production form, beating the future power output of the four- and five-cylinder engines of the A45 and RS3.
“Four hundred is the magic number,” said the BMW M division boss, referring to the power output of the M2’s new engine. “With forced induction it is no trouble to achieve this, but we have to make sure it doesn’t get too close to the power level of the new M4,” in reference to the engine used by the M2 Coupé’s larger sibling, which delivers 425bhp.
BMW M division insiders say initial prototypes of the M2 Coupé run an engine tune that gives it 375bhp.
Channelling those reserves will be a standard six-speed manual or optional seven-speed dual clutch transmission with remote steering wheel mounted shift paddles – both featuring automatic stop/start and brake energy recuperation alongside a thermal energy recovery function.
Although nothing is official ahead of the new car’s planned unveiling in concept car form, BMW M division sources suggest the new M2 Coupé will be geared for a 0-62mph time of 4.4sec in seven speed dual clutch guise – 0.5sec inside the time quoted for the 335bhp 1M Coupé and 0.2sec slower than the M4. The model's top speed, as with all existing M-cars, will be limited to 155mph in standard guise.
Early examples of the M2 Coupé will be sold exclusively in rear-wheel drive configuration, complete with an electronically controlled limited slip differential that incorporates a torque vectoring function for enhanced traction.
The combination of six-cylinder power and rear-wheel drive is set to provide the new price-leading BMW M car with what Nitschke describes as “a unique selling point” in a market segment he says is “completely dominated by four-cylinder four-wheel drive performance cars”.
Autocar understands BMW’s M division is planning to make a four-wheel drive xDrive option available for the M2 Coupé in selected markets later on as part of a broader sales strategy that will see it offered as an option on all future series production M models.
Further performance-enhancing initiatives include the use of a number of lightweight components aimed at bringing the M2 Coupé’s kerbweight well down below 1530kg to be lighter than the existing M235i. Among them will be a carbonfibre strut brace within the engine bay and composite plastic panels – developments first seen on the new M3 and M4.
Differentiating the new M2 Coupé from the existing M235i Coupé will be uniquely styled front and rear bumpers, front wings, sills, boot lid and standard 19-inch wheels.
The M2 Coupé is planned to be produced on the same production line as the standard 2-series Coupé at BMW’s Leipzig plant in Germany, with the first examples scheduled to land in showrooms during the final quarter of 2015. It will be followed in 2016 by a new M2 Cabriolet.
Depicted above in exclusive computer generated images based on prototypes spied testing at BMW’s M division headquarters on the outskirts of Munich in Germany, the new price-leading M-car has been conceived to sit between the existing M235i and fifth-generation M3. Its price is expected to be around £45,000 when sales kick off in just over 15 months from now.
This will see the new M2 Coupé compete directly with an upgraded version of the Mercedes-AMG A45 and the upcoming second-generation Audi RS3 when it reaches UK showrooms during the first quarter of 2016. A public debut for the new BMW in lightly-veiled concept car guise is planned for next year’s Frankfurt motor show.
As with the earlier limited-volume 1M Coupé, which it indirectly replaces in the BMW M line-up, the M2 Coupé will be powered by a turbocharged 3.0-litre in line six-cylinder direct injection petrol engine. It won’t, however, be the powerplant used by the larger and more expensive four-door M3 and its mechanical identical two-door sibling the M4, according to departing M division boss Friedrich Nitschke.
Described as an all-new development, the S57 B30-designated unit is based around the German car maker’s upcoming B57 powerplant that is planned to make its debut in the sixth-generation 7-series early next year - rather than the older N55 engine that forms the basis of the unit that powers the M3 and M4, the so-called S55 B30.
A heavy cloak of secrecy surrounds the new engine, which is also earmarked to power a range of future petrol powered ‘M Performance’ models for BMW M’s subordinate go-faster brand. Nitschke revealed it could develop up to 400bhp in production form, beating the future power output of the four- and five-cylinder engines of the A45 and RS3.
“Four hundred is the magic number,” said the BMW M division boss, referring to the power output of the M2’s new engine. “With forced induction it is no trouble to achieve this, but we have to make sure it doesn’t get too close to the power level of the new M4,” in reference to the engine used by the M2 Coupé’s larger sibling, which delivers 425bhp.
BMW M division insiders say initial prototypes of the M2 Coupé run an engine tune that gives it 375bhp.
Channelling those reserves will be a standard six-speed manual or optional seven-speed dual clutch transmission with remote steering wheel mounted shift paddles – both featuring automatic stop/start and brake energy recuperation alongside a thermal energy recovery function.
Although nothing is official ahead of the new car’s planned unveiling in concept car form, BMW M division sources suggest the new M2 Coupé will be geared for a 0-62mph time of 4.4sec in seven speed dual clutch guise – 0.5sec inside the time quoted for the 335bhp 1M Coupé and 0.2sec slower than the M4. The model's top speed, as with all existing M-cars, will be limited to 155mph in standard guise.
Early examples of the M2 Coupé will be sold exclusively in rear-wheel drive configuration, complete with an electronically controlled limited slip differential that incorporates a torque vectoring function for enhanced traction.
The combination of six-cylinder power and rear-wheel drive is set to provide the new price-leading BMW M car with what Nitschke describes as “a unique selling point” in a market segment he says is “completely dominated by four-cylinder four-wheel drive performance cars”.
Autocar understands BMW’s M division is planning to make a four-wheel drive xDrive option available for the M2 Coupé in selected markets later on as part of a broader sales strategy that will see it offered as an option on all future series production M models.
Further performance-enhancing initiatives include the use of a number of lightweight components aimed at bringing the M2 Coupé’s kerbweight well down below 1530kg to be lighter than the existing M235i. Among them will be a carbonfibre strut brace within the engine bay and composite plastic panels – developments first seen on the new M3 and M4.
Differentiating the new M2 Coupé from the existing M235i Coupé will be uniquely styled front and rear bumpers, front wings, sills, boot lid and standard 19-inch wheels.
The M2 Coupé is planned to be produced on the same production line as the standard 2-series Coupé at BMW’s Leipzig plant in Germany, with the first examples scheduled to land in showrooms during the final quarter of 2015. It will be followed in 2016 by a new M2 Cabriolet.
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