BMW enthusiasts would argue that the best way to crown the M range would be with a supercar. The XM may have been promoted as a spiritual successor to the M1, but the electrified luxury barge is certainly no “E26” reboot. A dedicated performance vehicle at the top of the M hierarchy has always sparked interest in the M community, but nothing like this has ever happened again.
However, Munich executives might feel encouraged to give their consent. The 3.0 CSL was a complete success despite an unconfirmed price of 750,000 euros. The special car built to celebrate M’s 50th anniversary was essentially an M4 CSL with a body inspired by the “E9” Batmobile. It had slightly more power and a manual transmission, all for more than four times the price of the donor car. As a reminder: the M4 CSL cost 165,200 euros in Germany.
Then came the Skytop, an M8 converted into a two-seat convertible with a removable targa roof. BMW also never released official pricing details for this car, but we reported a stunning €500,000 sticker. Before it was retired, the M8 Cabriolet cost 193,400 euros in Germany, making the mechanically related Skytop around two and a half times more expensive.
BMW relaunched the M8 earlier this year with the Speedtop, a beautiful shooting brake that is also believed to cost around half a million euros. Once again, the two-door station wagon was significantly more expensive than the donor car, the M8 Coupé, which cost 185,400 euros. What do all these cars have in common? All were bought by financially strong customers.
Rolls-Royce money for BMWs
BMW found 50 buyers for the 3.0 CSL, another 50 for the Skytop and 70 for the Speedtop. These cars sold out relatively soon after their official debut, showing strong interest in high-priced, small-series models. In retrospect, BMW probably wishes that it had also given the green light to the Concept Touring Coupé based on the Z4 M40i.
After managing to charge Rolls-Royce money for BMWs, a supercar doesn’t seem so outlandish anymore, does it? Well, yes and no. Such a project would be far more expensive to develop due to the need for numerous customized parts. The substructures for the sold-out cars mentioned above were already available on regular models. A solid foundation allowed for economies of scale as only the body and assembly process changed.
New class takes precedence
We also need to look at the bigger picture. In the first half of the decade, BMW made the largest single investment in the company’s history. Everything about the New Class cost Bayern over ten billion euros, said outgoing CEO Oliver Zipse. With 40 models coming to market by the end of 2027, now is not the time to invest additional time and resources in a supercar.
These spy shots of a mysterious Neue Klasse-style coupe fueled rumors of a supercar. However, we have it on good authority that this is not happening. The closest BMW has come to a successor to the M1 recently was around 2020. The M Vision Next concept was supposed to become the “I16,” but the coronavirus pandemic forced the project to be halted. BMW chose to prioritize SUVs instead, hence the controversial XM.
But not all hope is lost. Earlier this year, the CEO of BMW M left the door open for a supercar in an exclusive interview with BMWBLOG. However, Frank van Meel made it clear that realistically we shouldn’t expect this to happen so quickly:
“We don’t want to lose focus on our high-performance cars because we’re building a supercar. I have to be honest; we always dream about it. And maybe one day we’ll find the right time window in which we have the capacity to work on a car like that. And besides, the BMW Group company says: ‘Okay, do it.’ We’ll never give up, I can promise you that, but it’s actually not that far yet.”
Hopefully there is still time for an internal combustion engine within the “window of opportunity” mentioned by the mayor of M Town. BMW M is in a quandary. Interest in electric supercars or even more affordable sporty electric vehicles remains low, but increasingly strict emissions regulations are pushing automakers toward electric vehicles.
The M division plans to convert its inline-six and V8 engines to Euro 7, so there’s still time to hear the roar of an internal combustion engine. Ideally it would be mounted behind the driver. Should BMW ever greenlight an ICE-era supercar, the canceled M Vision Next/I16 suggests a hybrid setup. We’ll take what we can get before everything goes electric, should that day come later this century.
The product offensive will not include a super sports car
In the meantime, BMW has bigger fish to fry. New class brings far-reaching changes to the lineup. In addition to renewing the existing portfolio, the German luxury brand is also adding new models. Next year’s i3 and iX5 will be followed by an iX7 in 2027 and an iX6 in 2028. We’ve also heard there will be an i3 Touring, as well as entry-level EVs like the i1 and i2. A robust, large SUV with hybrid and electric drive is also expected to come onto the market before 2030, which will compete with the Mercedes G-Class.
In the future, BMW M will offer petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric models. Even if a special super sports car will be clearly missing, we are not giving up hope. Once the Neue Klasse model range is fully fleshed out, perhaps we can expect a spiritual successor to the M1. Logic suggests this won’t happen this decade, but we’d be happy to be proven wrong.
Supercar or not, a limited-edition M car seems to be a question of when and not if. Sylvia Neubauer, vice president of customers, brand and sales at M, hinted at this in a chat BMWBLOG back in June:
“We discuss things, but we have to find the right time for it. Rest assured, we share the same dream and the same passion. We spoke to Adrian van Hooydonk [Head of BMW Group Design] and the team that handles the small series planning, and there is a place reserved for BMW M.”
For now we just have to be patient and wait for BMW M’s size. Meanwhile, the M division is about to end its 14th consecutive year of growth, so business is booming even without a halo model.
