BMW’s performance division will not follow Mercedes-AMG’s strategy of offering downsized engines for its models. Instead, BMW M will keep its current inline-six and V8 motors for the years to come until it eventually moves to purely electric powertrains. No three- and four-cylinder mills with electric motors and batteries are being considered, BMW M’s boss Frank van Meel confirmed in a recent interview.
Commenting on many different topics to CarExpert, van Meel said putting a smaller engine under the hood of a full-blown M model in combination with big batteries simply “would not be the right way” for the company. Electrification will play a role in the transition to fully electric M vehicles – take the XM with its electrified 4.4-liter V8 for example – but electric motors will have a supporting role in the process.
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