That is the message from the CEO of BMW M.Markus Flasch in conversation with the Australian media the unveiling of the new M3 sedan and M4 coupe.
The first M product from BMW's growing EV range will initially be a version of the i4 Preview as a concept in March 2020.
Flasch did not go into the upgrades in the store, but gave a meaningful reference that referred to different performance and high-performance segments, which indicates that the positioning is not dissimilar to the current division between vehicles that carry the M Performance handle , like the M340i and the M550i. and full M cars like the M3 and M5.
“Next year we will be launching the first battery-electric M-car in the performance segment based on the i4as confirmation, ”Flasch revealed. "Then we'll work on hybrid electric cars and high-performance cars, but it's too early to say which ones it will be."
Preliminary specifications for the i4 concept suggested that performance from M competitors was a given. However, it remains to be seen how these statistics will affect a whole range of vehicles.
The concept's output of 390 kW and acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h initially seemed designed to get the M3 and M4 noticed. According to the official time stamp from BMW, the manual M3 and M4 reach 100 km / h in 4.1 seconds, while the automatic competition models need 3.9 seconds with an output of 353 kW and 375 kW respectively.
READ: 2021 M3 AND M4 DISCOVERED
According to Flasch, however, the battery technology required to cope with the rigors of a BMW high-performance car does not yet meet M.
"With high-performance battery electronics, it will take some time before the technology is ready and can take over with an existing high-performance car like an M3 or M4," he said. "It will take some time, but we are working on it."
When asked about the performance potential and the relative tunability of the electric drive train, Flasch found that acceleration was only part of the design of a potential high-performance electric model.
“It's not just about performance and longitudinal performance. So the question for us is when we can combine the performance of the systems that we develop in the company and integrate them into an M package. "
“In terms of steering and lateral dynamics, this is the big question. Sound is of course different. "
“This is something where we do science to create the M-specific feel, but first and foremost the biggest question to answer is how to handle the weight of a battery electric car and still be M-specific or M-style offers dynamism. "
When asked how the M-prepared i4 can be compared with the recently introduced M3 and M4, Flasch excluded any competition between the two model series. Affirms the positioning of the first EV with the M emblem as a performance and not as a high-performance model, and therefore a rung below the thoroughbred M vehicles on the BMW performance ladder.
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