BMW says M and i do not go together

There's word from top BMW executives that the automaker won't be mixing its i division with its M division, Car Advice reports. M division, which takes regular BMWs and makes them into formidable performance cars, and i division, which makes unique BMWs focused on fuel efficiency and sustainability, just don't go together.

While the i8 hybrid sports car looks and performs like a perfect candidate for M engineers to tinker with, BMW Group head of technology communications Cypselus von Frankenberg told Car Advice that nobody from the M division had a hand in developing the i8, and it will stay that way.

"I don't think it's necessary," Frankenberg says. "You look at the car [i8], it's an i version. You look at the LifeDrive architecture of the car, it wouldn't make sense to bring M to that." He did say that i and M may end up competing against each other in the future, but that hinges on how well the i division performs at dealerships. "It depends on the volume [of cars sold] of course," he says, adding that it's unknown when such a scenario would take place.

Head of product development at BMW M, Carsten Pries, is on the same page as Frankenberg. "To me, the brands BMW M and BMW i have different identities, and different focuses within their identities," Pries says. "I don't expect there's any type of competition, even if i8 is a sports car, it's a different kind of sports car." He also implies that the i8 is too slow for an M super sports car, and if the performance division made its own, the resultant vehicle would be much faster from 0-62 miles per hour than the i8's claimed 4.4 seconds.

This development only leaves us with more questions about i division's future, the chief of which is What does BMW have in store to increase the performance of its i cars?

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/15/bmw-m-and-i-not-mix/

 

There's always M-Sport packages to play with...

 

M is for performance and i is for efficiency. So yeah you could add a performance package (ie M-Sport package) without stepping on M's toes. Just like Tesla, yeah it's a green car but go up the ranks from 60kWh to 80kWh to the P85 for better performance.

Of course BMW i could just do what Tesla does an put a bigger electric motor / battery in it lol

 

To be blunt, M and BMW do not go together currently. Considering how overweight and floppy their current base cars have become.

 

I do not believe this one bit. BMW use to say the would never "m" their SUV. Look at where they are today.

It'll only be a matter of time before there is I with M

 

Would it be iM (Impossible Missions (Force)) or Mi (Mission Impossible)?

 

My sentiments exactly.


They'll just argue that their "i" cars have advanced far enough to deserve the M badge when the time comes.

 

with the porsche 918 out there, it's inevitable

 

I think its a mistake. They need to get on the future now. They shouldn't rule anything out

 

the irony won't be i getting M'd but M going electric/hybrid powertrains

 

While we're at it, that charging door looks out of place and ruins the lines of that smooth looking fender.

 

i really dont get the point of i8, except for lower CO2 for tax-evading purposes for both BMW and owner.

If it was full EV, then I would get it. 20 mile range i dont understand at all, except for above. And I am big supporter for all hybrids, phev's and ev's.