BMW's M cars to continue using inline-six, V8 engines
What's the story
BMW's high-performance division, BMW M, has chosen not to follow Mercedes-AMG's approach of using smaller engines.
Instead, they'll continue using its current inline-six and V8 engines until they eventually switch to fully electric powertrains.
BMW M's head, Frank van Meel, confirmed in a recent interview that they are not considering three and four-cylinder engines combined with electric motors and batteries.
Electrification will play a part in the transition to all-electric M vehicles, but electric motors will have a supporting role.
Details
Smaller combustion engines would not be right
Meel told CarExpert that adding a smaller combustion engine to a full-fledged M model along with large batteries "would not be the right way" for the company.
"That's not the way we see it because we want to have a strong base engine anyway," he said.
Meel also stated that for them "the step will be to go purely electric right away. And do that in a proper way."
Scenario
Electric M cars await track-ready EV technology
Meel mentioned that fully electric M cars won't hit the market anytime soon.
This is because he believed electric vehicle (EV) technology isn't ready for a track-focused machine capable of delivering "continuous power output in a significant way."
He added that for an EV to handle the Nurburgring Nordschleife, it would need to complete one or two laps at full speed.
However, current battery limitations at speeds over 250km/h make this unachievable.