It's likely future M cars will jump straight to hybrid or full electric power before downsizing further.
BMWBMW M boss Frank van Meel revealed at an event in South Africa on Thursday the performance division will never build a car powered by a three- or four-cylinder engine, CarBuzzreports.
Speaking at a media preview for the 2022 BMW M Fest at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, van Meel was asked whether the 3.0-liter S58 straight-six could, at some point in the future, be replaced with a high-output three-cylinder engine.
“I hope that was just a rhetorical question because it’s clear we’re not going to do any three-cylinder engines,” van Meel responded. “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.”
The companies he’s referring to are, obviously, firms such as Mercedes-AMG, which just recently revealed its new C 63 S, which eschews its long-standing V-8 powertrain in favor of a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with hybrid assistance.
Though van Meel didn’t elaborate further, we expect M cars to hold onto straight-six and V-8s up until the performance division decides to go fully electric. The 2023 M2, pictured above, will be the last new M car without hybrid assistance. So going by van Meel’s statement, all upcoming hybrids from M will have at least six cylinders.
Brian Silvestro Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.
Keyword: BMW M Boss Says There Will Never Be a 3- or 4-Cylinder M Car