The CEO of BMW's M division, Frank Van Meel, has stated earlier that the future of the division will include electrified cars. As BMW plans to have electric or hybrid cars form 40 percent of its production output by 2025, M cars will be part of that. And now, Van Meel says that by the end of the next decade, all BMW M models will have electrified tech in them.
According to CarAdvice, Van Meel spoke with Australian journalists in Spain, telling them the timeline for hybrid M tech will be there step by step, stressing that timing is crucial for BMW M to deliver a successful product. Van Meel doesn't want an electrified M car to be half-baked, heavy or unsatisfying due to a rush to market before the technology has been perfected.
"Look at today's electrification components," he said. "They are quite heavy and, for us as a motorsports company, overall vehicle weight and power-to-weight ratio is key."
Van Meel also says an M car should drive like one. The M division has used every engine configuration from four cylinders to straight sixes, from V8 to V10, in search for the best-suited powerplant for the cars in question. Hybrid and electric tech is fair game for M cars, too, as long as it is there for performance's sake without hampering the feel. Or as Van Meel put it: "The basic target is not so much the components of the technology itself. It's more the philosophy."
