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Bruce Newton5 Oct 2018
NEWS

Next BMW M2 will be the 'Drift Machine'

But which new BMW models are 'The Boss' and 'The Beast'?

Start drooling now because the next-generation BMW 2 Series range – which will be topped by a successor to the award-winning BMW M2 Coupe — has been internally nicknamed the ‘Drift Machine’.

That revelation was made by BMW development chief Klaus Frohlich, who 12 months ago confirmed to motoring.com.au the next BMW 2 Series would retain its current rear-wheel drive layout.

That means it won’t become front-wheel drive like the 1 Series, which is currently a close technical relation to the 2 Series but will migrate to the MINI’s front/all-wheel drive UKL platform in for its next generation.

Frohlich, a renowned petrol-head, was clearly delighted to have won the battle to keep the M2 and lesser versions of the next 2 Series Coupe and Convertible rear-wheel drive. For a long time, BMW had stated that only models from the 3 Series upwards would remain rear-drive.

He claims responsibility for the ‘drift machine’ moniker because he wants the designers and engineers developing the model range to understand its intended purpose as a driver’s car.

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“The next-generation 2 Series will be called the drift machine, so whenever I look at the design I can say ‘Adrian [van Hooydonk, BMW design chief], does that really look like a drift machine? It should have more thrill, do something more’.

“If I drive the car I say ‘is it a drift machine?”

Frohlich’s efforts will undoubtedly be awaited anxiously in Australia, where the M2 has been a sell-out success and where new BMW M2 Competition is due to go on sale soon.

Back in 2016 the M2 won Australia’s Best Driver’s Car, toppling the Porsche 911.

“People asked ‘does it [rear-wheel drive] really matter because the segment is too small?’ and I think it is so important for the brand and it’s so important for M, because the M2 is the entry model.

“So I fought hard and I won, so you will have also a 2 Series successor that will have the power where you need it.”

The upcoming 2 Series, due for launch in the early 2020s, is not the only BMW to get a nickname from Frohlich.

The new BMW X5, which goes on sale in Australia late in 2018, is dubbed ‘The Boss’ and the forthcoming X6 is ‘The Beast’.

“Yes. The Beast,” Frohlich confirmed. “It is a nice name.

“By this approach, even if you are using the same toolboxes, every car has to have a different character.

“In design, for example, we do not morph one design to different sizes. We do special designs for special cars.

“And we will not do the same design for the next five years. Cars that enter the market in 2020 to 2021, we will always evolve the design, every year.”

So, what nickname does the new G20 3 Series that BMW launched at Paris have?

“Unfortunately, this car was already started so it did not get a name,” Frohlich admitted.

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