Why BMW is building an M version of the 1 series coupe, and not just an 135iS

[as7920]

There could still be time for quads to make an appearance.

Scott has consistently hinted at quads in the past, certainly conceptually.

I would have thught the engineers would have been able to tell a long time ago if quads were never going to be able to work and why would they have if been included in the concept if this were the case?

I'm still leaning towards quads being a feature, I just think its early days.
Maybe they'll make an appearance on the next couple of mules?

[trfortin69]

"What's its name, then?
This is the $1 million dollar question. And a controversial one as one. Logically, the M-variant of the 3-series is called M3 and the M-variant of the 5 series is called M5, M1 would be an appropriate name. Think what you will about this, but the people at BMW just won't do that. I don't want to get into details about why the mid-engined car BMW built back in the 80's has made the M1 name unusable. All that matters is by BMW's thinking the name M1 has been ruled out. But it's safe to assume that there will be an M in the name and that there will be an 1 in the name. This still leaves us room for some possible names."

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this before, however considering the BMW faithful won't want to call this the M1, why not call it the M-coupe, they had an M-Roadster I thionk M-Coupe is only appropriate. I think it's a great idea, I'll send BMW's marketing department the bill and I'll take a residual from every one sold.

[trfortin69]

Originally Posted by trfortin69

"What's its name, then?
This is the $1 million dollar question. And a controversial one as one. Logically, the M-variant of the 3-series is called M3 and the M-variant of the 5 series is called M5, M1 would be an appropriate name. Think what you will about this, but the people at BMW just won't do that. I don't want to get into details about why the mid-engined car BMW built back in the 80's has made the M1 name unusable. All that matters is by BMW's thinking the name M1 has been ruled out. But it's safe to assume that there will be an M in the name and that there will be an 1 in the name. This still leaves us room for some possible names."

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this before, however considering the BMW faithful won't want to call this the M1, why not call it the M-coupe, they had an M-Roadster I thionk M-Coupe is only appropriate. I think it's a great idea, I'll send BMW's marketing department the bill and I'll take a residual from every one sold.

so much for my get rich quick scheme, forgot about this baby

The BMW M Coupe is a Shooting-brake styled high-performance automobile produced by BMW. As of February 2009, two generations of the M Coupe have been manufactured, one based on the E36/8 Z3 Coupe and the second off of the E86 Z4 Coupe. Both generations have a "sister" Convertible/Roadster model available. Though a second generation E89 Z4 has been released for the 2009 model year, no official announcements have been made regarding the third iteration of the BMW M Coupe/Roadster.


I guess they could call it the M coupe however just say it's based on the e82 platform.

[e46e92love]

South,

My friend, I hope you are indeed correct. But at the end of the day they have cannibalized one ///M to make another (if indeed they will share the same breaks, suspension and diff). In that case, I'm still disappointed. Yes, the e60 and e92 share a similar engine, but there are still many differences between the two engines (despite what the Dinan's stroker talk claims) and still yet even more difference between the two cars' other mechanical areas (breaks, diff, suspension, etc.).

Now, if for some reason C&D is correct, and ///M pulls a fast one on us and sticks in a small (3.0-3.2) higher revving N/A engine for the sake of "handling and track performance" then I will be the first to congratulate them and put one in the stable. Oh, and I don't want anyone talking about MPG, because the S54 got 17-24, so I'm sure with a car near the same weight with vanos and other goodies, they could slap in a high-revving N/A engine and get 18-26.

If handling, throttle response and track orientation is what the focus of this ///M is, then a low revving FI engine is not the answer, but I digress.

Nice write-up mate.

Cheers,
e46e92

[M3_WC]

Originally Posted by slammedm3

GREAT write up South

I have 1 question for you though, what do you think about the lack of a quad exhaust system? This would be the first modern day ///M without it.

What is your definintion of modern day?

The e36 M3 did not have quad exhaust.

Personally I prefer it not to have it. Quads is not a performance advantage, done purely for looks. Plus quads just adds weight.

[Robert]

This is not cannibalization because when BMW increased the price tag on M3, they move out of the market segment for $45-55k premium performance automobile, leaving the low end vulnerable to competitors, like Subaru, Evo, Lexus, Acura, and even the up-and-comer Hyundai.

The defense beat them by technology and innovation is ineffective against low-end strategy as mentioned in Christensen's book and shown in real world examples. Honda motor first entered through motorcycle that Western firms considered toys and cheap who continued to build over-engineered large displacement motorcycles. Which eventually led to their demise because they couldn't match Honda's cost structure as Honda moved upmarket. Same with Samsung who entered as OEM suppliers and eventually establish its own brand. Where is RCA now?

BMW is protecting its turf, making sure competitors dont get a foothold. The baby M will serve this market.

[southlight]

Originally Posted by jayparry

Sounds like there is evidence that it is coming from the M division.

However, you say the car wont be called M1...why? "There was another car called this at one point" is enough to remove the marking reasons why it makes sense? (someone mentioned they focus tested the name and M1 was the winner)

If not, would it be called 1 M? Is that trademarked by BMW? How about 135M? Or even 135iM or 135isM? or to avoid the whole naming problem, 135is?

That's the $1 million dollar question. I heard that BMW is filling trademarks for a possible name 'as we speak', so we might find out that way.

Originally Posted by Jlevi SW

Excellent article, I really enjoyed it. I like to see a little journalistic styling on the forums

Thank you and all the others for the nice words. It's appreciated!

Originally Posted by lucypup

Fabulous article, admire your reasoning and research. Do you, or does anyone else know when the car will be available in the US? Bimmer podcasts suggest a year from now, after Europe gets to see it in Paris this fall. I realize this might be heresy, but do you believe it will have a sunroof option as does the current E92 M3, or even if a convertible version will be available? Sorry all, but I love the open roof!

Thanks! Honestly, I can't tell definitely for the US. Germany is supposed to see the launch of this car in the Spring of 2011, so one year from now sounds reasonable for the US.

Originally Posted by numba1guju

very nice write-up...very clean...i think this has brought me out of the "maybe its a m1 or maybe 135is" stage to believe that it is a M1...my future car

That was my intention, so I'm glad it worked.

Originally Posted by auggiem3

Nice work on the compilation. Let's hope you're right!

Thanks, it means a lot to me.

Originally Posted by slammedm3

GREAT write up South

I have 1 question for you though, what do you think about the lack of a quad exhaust system? This would be the first modern day ///M without it.

That's a good question. I would say that the exhaust of these prototypes are different from the 135i (the tips are a tad longer). Hence, I wouldn't bet on a quad exhaust system.

Originally Posted by MavSandhu

Gents,
Love the info; qucik question though...
Even with early mules, M cars have quad tailpipes and a bonnet bulge of some nature- where are they on this?
Having said that, i do note that the current spy shots of the new M5 are missing the bonnet bulge also...
Any ideas???

Thanks,
Mav

Regarding the bulge, I know that Scott mentioned there would be a powerdome. However, BMW only does this if it's necessary to meet safety regulations. I'm under the impression that the engine doesn't need it, so I tend to think there won't be a bulge (we may see cosmetical creases like the Z4 M had).

Originally Posted by e46e92love

South,

My friend, I hope you are indeed correct. But at the end of the day they have cannibalized one ///M to make another (if indeed they will share the same breaks, suspension and diff). In that case, I'm still disappointed. Yes, the e60 and e92 share a similar engine, but there are still many differences between the two engines (despite what the Dinan's stroker talk claims) and still yet even more difference between the two cars' other mechanical areas (breaks, diff, suspension, etc.).

Now, if for some reason C&D is correct, and ///M pulls a fast one on us and sticks in a small (3.0-3.2) higher revving N/A engine for the sake of "handling and track performance" then I will be the first to congratulate them and put one in the stable. Oh, and I don't want anyone talking about MPG, because the S54 got 17-24, so I'm sure with a car near the same weight with vanos and other goodies, they could slap in a high-revving N/A engine and get 18-26.

If handling, throttle response and track orientation is what the focus of this ///M is, then a low revving FI engine is not the answer, but I digress.

Nice write-up mate.

Cheers,
e46e92

Thanks mate! I'm with you that a small high revving engine would be great. I wouldn't want to judge the FI engine until I've learned more about its specs, though.


Best regards,
south

[tyler9595]

Nice write-up, very logical and thoughtfully done. Thank you.

IMHO, the mechanical LSD is a big tip off...

I dont care about the quads, nor what name they give it...if they give it 350hp/350lb, and the M suspension (which, judging from the 'ring videos, it will have)...it will be the sh!t and will be my next car.

[M3_WC]

Originally Posted by tyler9595

IMHO, the mechanical LSD is a big tip off...

Another big tip off that south didn't mention. Is the spy shots of them testing the car without the moonroof. In certain shots you can see it removed, with a tempory piece riveted in its place. This is why it has a half black roof. There will be a carbon roof.

[Oulixes]

Southlight, thanks - your post is well written ad researched, and your logic and the line of your argument are impeccable. Whatever is the reason for building an M-version of 1-series instead of or in addition to an is-version, the reason is valid. Let me just make a comment on the M-version designation. Might it be that BMW hesitates to call the new car M1 because there are plans for resurrection of the old mid-engine M1?

[ZKA]

Brilliant article South, well done! In addition, sources say (I cant recall where from) that one of the M project's main reasons for existence, was to develop a mid-engine "R8 competitor," which is based on the Efficiency Dynamics Concept. Since, the introduction of the BMW Gran Coupe Concept, the company has announced that it will not be making an M version of the 6-Series, and instead an "R8 Competitor." BMW wants to boost sales with the M1-Series (or what ever its going to be called) to fund the "R8 Competitor" project. This begins to make sense why BMW M are coming with this car at this late of a stage. Furthermore, from a marketing standpoint, having an M badge on this one series boosts up its sales, rather than having an IS badge on it. Engineers at BMW M are aching to develop a sort of "Super Car" for the company. If this "R8" project goes through, we might be in for quite a "Twin-Turbo M-Power V8" treat competing with the 5.2 R8 V10.

If anyone cares to correct or suggest. Please feel free to do so

[BForbes]

Originally Posted by ZKA

Brilliant article South, well done! In addition, sources say (I cant recall where from) that one of the M project's main reasons for existence, was to develop a mid-engine "R8 competitor," which is based on the Efficiency Dynamics Concept. Since, the introduction of the BMW Gran Coupe Concept, the company has announced that it will not be making an M version of the 6-Series, and instead an "R8 Competitor." BMW wants to boost sales with the M1-Series (or what ever its going to be called) to fund the "R8 Competitor" project. This begins to make sense why BMW M are coming with this car at this late of a stage. Furthermore, from a marketing standpoint, having an M badge on this one series boosts up its sales, rather than having an IS badge on it. Engineers at BMW M are aching to develop a sort of "Super Car" for the company. If this "R8" project goes through, we might be in for quite a "Twin-Turbo M-Power V8" treat competing with the 5.2 R8 V10.

If anyone cares to correct or suggest. Please feel free to do so

BMW using the M1/1M to fund an R8 competitor does not make much sense IMO. This car can't possibly be in production for more than two years. Plus, there really isn't much profits to be had on this end of the spectrum. The M3, X5M, X6M, etc bring in much larger profits. I mean the M versions can cost twice as much as the normal cars. Now that is MONEY whereas a M1 cant successfully cost more than 12k more than a 135i. Do you see where I'm coming from? The 1 series is already a low volume seller in the U.S. BMW moved over 8,000 3 series last month and 1500 1 series in the U.S. I seriously doubt an M1/1M is funding much of anything.

[sb335is]

nice write up
A+

[Imola.ZHP]

The name should be M1

If its anything else, I'll be surprised

/name topic

[auggiem3]

I desperately hope that its an M with quads to come...fake quads....like the exhaust setup on the IS-F. And why not throw a little evolution on recent M "tradition" with a hood bulge AND a non-functional ram-air intake (you know, mustang style)?

(kidding...hate to clarify but my jokes have been taken literally before).

[sid33]

Southlight ... for your efforts


and yes I agree

[pDz]

it's all looking good thus far.

great op-ed piece

[ArabianSensation]

Well now that we know what the M1 is really about, I want one. A lot.

[Robert]

E82 has to be one of the most controversial BMW ever built. Remember how much flak We got from e90post members when the intention to release 135i was made public. Now the announcement of a m1 with the unknown of how well it will stack against the m3 is again stirring up debates. I cannot wait to test drive this car.

[cagekicker]

interesting stuff!

[BForbes]

Originally Posted by auggiem3

I desperately hope that its an M with quads to come...fake quads....like the exhaust setup on the IS-F. And why not throw a little evolution on recent M "tradition" with a hood bulge AND a non-functional ram-air intake (you know, mustang style)?

(kidding...hate to clarify but my jokes have been taken literally before).

Wow, I thought you were serious. I'm glad you clarified..lol

[Evan135]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

We suspect that the original floor pan of the 1 series can not accommodate a quad exhaust setup without modification whereas the floor pan of the 5 series was originally designed to. This would explain why the M5 mule has the quads and the 1 series mules currently do not.

Correct and the the same is true for the E9x 3 series. It was desgined for dual exhaust that practically allows for quad tips. On the E46 M3 they had to use a different floor pan in the trunk and would have to also for the 1 series. Also with the emphasis on weight reduction they may us the current style exhaust set up to keep weight down.