BMW M will electrify

Markus Flasch, the president of BMW M, has reconfirmed that his division will soon introduce alternative-energy models, but the increasing reliance on eco-friendly models in the performance range won't trample on the turf of the BMW i brand.

In a teleconference last week the head of BMW M told carsales: "[BMW sub brand] 'i' does not just stand for electrification, i stands much more for innovation, for incubation of new technology..."

"M has always stood for performance... there is no conflict of, for instance, having electrified powertrains involved..."

Flasch said earlier during the teleconference that the M Division will be a willing participant in the move to fuel-saving, lower-emissions powertrain technology.

"At the moment we are working on three alternatives, we are working on 48-volt systems, we are working on plug-in hybrids and we're working on fully battery electric vehicles.

"I cannot disclose when we will launch the first vehicle… But it’s not too far in the distance."

According to Flasch, any BMW i car could get the M treatment, although he was unwilling to discuss a car like the i8 (pictured) – a vehicle that's not only innovative and environmentally-sustainable, but also offers high performance in its standard form.

"I cannot discuss what we're doing on i8 or its successors; what I can disclose is that there is a very close cooperation between i and M – also the guys from M Motorsport, [who] work on the Formula e cars.

"Everything's possible there. For instance, we can do M versions of i cars, we can do whatever we want.

"But it doesn't depend on whether it's electrified or not."

The i8 has been the subject of rumour that it might not continue into a second generation, but the reluctance of Flasch to discuss the future of the i8 hints that there will be a replacement of some kind or another.

During the same teleconference Flasch had said BMW M was fully in favour of building a 'hypercar', but hadn't managed to make the argument successfully before now. For the moment, the upcoming M8 is the M division's flagship, but a donor car delivering low emissions coupe and high performance could be the convincing argument the M division has been seeking.

Development of any successor to the current i8 will remain in the realm of BMW i, but the M division may play a larger part in its development if there's a hyper-performance model planned.

"They [M and i] can remain distinct entities because i does not stand for electrification... both of our companies use electric powertrains," Flasch explained.

"This doesn't mean a conflict, because M will always stand for performance... i will stand for innovation, incubation of new technology, autonomous driving..."