A few weeks ago, BMW blog was able to corner the BMW M CEO Dr. Friedrich Nitschke and Brian Watts, Head of M Global Sales and Marketing. Based on their conversation that took place in Miami, Florida during the M Sales Awards, we can now speculate on what to expect from BMW M in the coming years.

• M6 Convertible & Coupe. We mention the Convertible variant first because BMW decided to launch the 6 Series in reverse order. This means that European customers have already begun taking delivery of M6 Convertibles while M6 Coupes are expected to arrive in a few months time. While we hope to see the first M6 Convertible touch ground in Canada later this month, Canadian customers will have to wait until early summer to take delivery of theirs. One feature we’re especially excited about are the optional gold-painted carbon ceramic brakes that will make their debut on the M6.
• M6 Gran Coupe. Announced earlier this year as a four-door Coupe of the 6 Series, the M6 Gran Coupe is expected to use the same 560 hp M TwinPower Turbo V-8 from the M5 and M6. The undoubtedly stunning M6 Gran Coupe would serve as the cherry on top of the icing of the cake that are BMW M cars. Expect the M6 Gran Coupe to absolutely terrorize the competition’s similar offerings in the shape of Porsche’s Panamera Turbo (S), Mercedes-Benz’s CLS63 AMG, Maserati’s Quattroporte GTS, and Audi’s (R)S7.
• M Performance Automobiles (MPA). MPA’s are a recently announced line of mainly diesel engined M engineered BMWs that sport equally impressive fuel economy as performance numbers. Unfortunately, Dr. Nitschke told BMW blog that “we started with diesel engines and as you know, they are not very popular with the American consumers,” signalling that the current range of diesel engines will likely not make it across the pond. However, Dr. Nitschke did say that “we will also bring a petrol engine … specifically made for the U.S.” and that “perhaps in the future the technology and market adoption will exist to bring across the diesel engines as well.”
• BMW M3/M4. As you may have found out by now, BMW will rename the Coupe and Convertible variants of the 3 Series as ‘4 Series.’ This means the upcoming M3 will only exist in sedan variant, while the M4 Coupe and M4 Convertible will complete the rest of the range. The most exciting news however, comes from Dr. Nitschke, who says that “[dramatic] weight savings will be seen in the new M3″ through extensive use of aluminum and carbon fibre. Dr. Nitschke also commented on how the new line of M Performance Automobiles allows for more extreme M cars “specifically made for the race track where you can drive fast.” For those of you fearing a DCT-only M car, Dr. Nitschke further added “we have a lot of customers in the U.S. that want a manual, and this is why we offer the new M5 (and M6) with a manual also.” Rest assured then, that a manual option will be on the M3/M4 US (and hopefully Canadian) order sheet.
• BMW M2. While we’re fairly certain that we’ll see a successor of the 1M Coupe, it probably won’t be called the same. Since the 1 Series will follow the same moniker change as the 3 Series, ‘1 Series’ will now only be used for the hatchbacks while ‘2 Series’ will be used for the Coupes and Convertibles. The M2 will likely be just as aggressive and raw as the 1M Coupe was, while the recently introduced M135i should do a fine job of keeping the (European) enthusiasts temporarily satisfied.

A Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren crushing supercar has long been rumoured to be on the way – alas with little concrete evidence. One thing however is for sure and that’s “if BMW would bring a car in this category, it must be the best,” says Dr. Nitschke. He further added that he already believes that “the M5 is without a doubt a supercar.” But considering his favourite M car is the classic M1, you can rest assured that the idea of a full blown high-end supercar successor to the iconic M1 is just as much a dream to you as it is to the CEO of BMW.