BMW has been in the news recently for the generous weight of its “access” sports model, the BMW M2. A car that has historically been among one of the lightest in the company (it still is) and that has recently presented its generational renewal with a curb weight of 1,730 kilos. However, and according to what the CEO of BMW M stated, this figure will not improve in the coming years, but rather will increase significantly: “The era of lightweight BMWs is over”.
However, the future of the BMW M2 could give a new turn to everything known until now. In recent statements by the CEO of BMW M, Frank Van Meel, to the medium CarBuzzthe manager leaves open the possibility of a third generation of the “small” sports car with 100% electric mechanics.
To this day, the BMW M2 is possibly one of the most beloved models in the BMW sports range due to its dynamics and its own specifications aimed at an audience seeking the most classic driving passion. However, this generation could be the last under this kind of philosophy.
BMW does not plan to include plug-in hybrid powertrains in its high-performance “small” models, like this BMW M2. “A plug-in hybrid in a small car can be a difficult issue because they have to have enough power, even if the electric part is not available. If your base engine is not strong enough, then a plug-in hybrid is pointless », stated the CEO of BMW M during his speech.
This leads one to think that The next generation of the BMW M2 will be 100% electric, thus passing to a totally different scheme to what is presented today in its second generation. Will there be a thermal alternative? Everything seems to indicate that this will not be the case.
The third generation of the BMW M2 should arrive sometime around the year 2030, a high point for car companies, as the vast majority expect to present a whole range of 100% electric vehicles by then. BMW will not be left behind and launching a thermal variant of the BMW M2 at the beginning of the year 2030 would not make much sense, since its life span would be just 5 years until the arrival of the ban on thermal engines in the year 2035.
Also, by then BMW hopes to have taken important steps in advancing the electric technology of its modelswith the arrival of the new Neue Klasse platforms in the year 2025, in addition to the progress that motors and batteries obtain for almost a decade, such as the commercialization of solid electrolyte, for example.
Currently the Bavarian company already has some 100% electric alternatives signed by BMW M, such as the BMW i4 M50 and the BMW iX M60. In a matter of months, the BMW i7 M70 and new models such as the iX3 and iX4 M “for real” will also arrive. This shows that BMW has no qualms about developing electric sports cars and that the future of driving sensations is guaranteed.
