BMW M to electrify

BMW M will join its fellow German performance vehicle brands in electrifying its models.

That’s the word from the global head of product management at BMW i, Dr Alex Kotouc, who told motoring.com.au that the Bavarian car-maker’s M and i brands weren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.

“If you were BMW what would you do with BMW M?” he asked rhetorically.

“The thing we all know is that electromobility has the advantage that with a push of the pedal you have the power and the torque is immediately there.

“The i8 is already a fast vehicle, but with a bigger motor and a bigger battery this car will be really, really fast.

“In the long run it makes sense to electrify M as well.”

Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport have both said in the past they will electrify their performance models – not just to meet strict new emissions regulations due in Europe by 2021, but to further increase performance.

Dr Kotouc would not put a timeframe on BMW following suit, but said electrification technologies would eventually be shared between BMW M and i.

“I don’t know when it is coming, but it makes complete sense to give M something like electrification as well.

“It’s not like M and i are at opposite ends. Many people say M is the old world and i is the new world, but I don’t look at it like this.

“It’s just two different letters that emphasise two different things, but why shouldn’t they come together in the future?

“Look at the i8. It’s a plug-in hybrid sports car, which tells me people are willing to have both – a really high-performance car and a really high-performance electric car – something like an iM5.”

The i product boss said BMW’s future mobility division was working on a range of electrification technologies, including hydrogen fuel-cells, the scope of which remains limited by a lack of refuelling infrastructure.

Dr Kotouc said China’s massive automotive market will provide the economy of scale to make EVs as cheap as combustion-powered vehicles within 10 or 15 years, but promised BMW “won’t stop building combustion engines any time soon”.

Asked how the German car-maker would produce electric vehicles that continue to generate passion in BMW customers, he said the answer was artificial engine noise.

“Emotion is important. It might not sound like a V12 and it vibrates less, so it’s something we’re discussing because with sound engineering we can make it sound like any engine you like – an eight-cylinder, a 12-cylinder, you just name it.

“So the question is if somebody is changing to an electric vehicle, if they want it to sound old-world we can make this happen – V8, V12 or whatever the customer wants.

“Or if they are choosing an electric car would it be going in the wrong direction, like an old car?”

Dr Kotouc said BMW i would make an each-way bet.

“We’ll probably go in both directions – give consumers the choice. If you want to have your car sound like whatever, you can.

“But we know from the i3 and i8 that most of the people really appreciate that it doesn’t make a sound at all.

“Especially when we bring the i8 convertible -- the only thing you are hearing is the sound of the wind.

“It’s completely different from what you currently know from a roadster with all the roar, so I think people will either like it or not.”