In my never-ending quest to stay on top of automotive developments (okay, that's laying it on a little thick, but I do like to stay aware of products that might interest me at some point in the future), I was on the BMW website today to price out an X5 4.8is. Being a former M-car owner I clicked on the M-car section and was shocked to find the only two cars listed are the M3 coupe and convertible. I then also noticed that the Z8 is not listed anymore either.

Can someone confirm or deny that for 2004 BMW is not producing the M5 or Z8?

 

The M5 is skipping a year because of the 5 series redesign for 2004.
The M5 will return for 2005 with a 500 HP V10. The sickest ever!

 

Abcedefghij

 

Production of both the Z8 and M5 stopped last year.
Around the fall If I remember correctly.

 

man are you sure you are a bimmer fan? you don't even know the m5 is not in production this yr coz' the new 5 just debut, and the m power is one yr later?

 

Nope, I'm definitely not a Bimmer fan. Go back and look at any of my old posts about my M--I vowed not to buy another BMW for a long, long time. Still, since I'm considering an LX for my next car I figure I owe it to myself to be aware of competing products.

This raises another question in my mind, though--how is it that MB is able to introduce AMG cars at the same time new models are introduced, but it takes BMW an extra year?

 

I would suspect that Bayerische has some convoluted marketing strategy to support the decision, not that the M production has to be delayed. Traditionally, BMW has always waited a year or so with new models before releasing M versions.............

OTOH, I can't understand MB strategy with so many overlapping models (at last count, 7 with over 500 hp!!!) between C, E, and S classes plus AMG versions of most. Good if you want a Merc, I guess, but seems very costly from a manufacturing standpoint.

 

it's not that they can't or incapable of, it's just how they do things. they always introduce the m power version a yr or two after the normal version

 

Read today that the M5 will be a 2006.

 

S62's ran out, kill of the Z8 and the M5. Same thing with the 4.6is, to be replaced.

Bimmers rock!

Okay who am I kidding? Get an E55.