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BMW’s M division boss has said the Munich brand will stick to six-cylinder and V8 engines for the future
While performance carmakers such as Mercedes-AMG have committed to using smaller and more-efficient engines for the future, BMW is standing firmly against that idea.
The head of BMW M division, Franciscus van Meel, is strongly opposed to the idea of having small-displacement powertrains, telling Carbuzz that “we’re not going to do any three-cylinder engines”.
“We’re not even going to do four-cylinder engines in high-performance cars. I know there are other companies that are doing that, but we’re not going to do that,” he said.
The most obvious manufacturer is Mercedes-AMG, who has officially announced the new C63 S E Performance – the first time we will see a high-performance C-Class without a V8 or six-cylinder engine. Instead, AMG will fit a hybrid turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine also found in the A45 S sold in Australia.
But it’s not just AMG being a trendsetter. Toyota has made a greater push for the use of turbocharged three-cylinder engines found in the GR Yaris and GR Corolla that make just as much power as their four-cylinder counterparts.
And while not technically the highest performance, under the BMW banner Mini has been using turbocharged four-cylinder engines since the second-generation R56 Mini hatch.
Looking at BMW’s future products, the automaker is trying to hold on as long as possible when it comes to using larger displacement engines. A good example of this is the new BMW XM that utilises a hybrid V8 engine setup.
It’s likely that the next generation of BMW M2, M3 and M5 will all use hybridised versions of their current engines with a greater focus on electrification.
BMW has said that the second-generation M2 is the last non-electrified M car to be launched, so expect the future M3 and M4 to use some form of hybrid setup.
As for the 1 Series, BMW’s M division has said that there won’t be a 1 Series M product. Instead, the role will be filled by the current M135i, a halfway M car.
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