More thoughts from van Meel on BMW i8M, hybrid M, and more

Jason · 01-14-2015, 10:13 AM

BIMMERPOST NEWS

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Here is another interview with new BMW M head, Fraciscus van Meel, by CAR, which provides us some more insight into the new M CEO's philosophies and outlook on the M brand.

On whether there is a possibility of a BMW i8 M model:

‘I can see a marrying of BMW’s M and i brands, but I can’t see an i8M just now. There is a very close collaboration between M and i – we have an open-book policy, and each brand can look into the other’s magic box of technologies and ideas. The i team used that making the i3 and i8, looking at the carbonfibre technologies M cars have used for the past ten years. They took that as a basis and enhanced that, and that’s something we’re looking at now to see if that carbonfibre technology can help us with the next generation of M cars. Also, we’re looking at the vehicle dynamic control systems, which are very interesting on the i8. We are not trying to make an i8M though – that would be a mixing of cultures that wouldn’t work. We want to retain our positions without ignoring the good ideas each one has.’

Asked again about all-wheel-drive, he responded:

‘Whatever technology we’re talking about, the properties of an M car must remain rear-wheel drive; very agile, very precise. And I don’t like the phrase ‘four-wheel drive’. Emotionally it sounds stoic, neutral and understeery. If we are talking about M I think we’re talking about rear-wheel drive with added traction. We are looking into those things because power and torque will only increase, and we will run into the necessity of these kind of systems.’

And what about hybrid M models?

‘Again, it has to enhance the properties we have right now without making anything worse. I wouldn’t exclude it but we haven’t found the right system yet to fulfill all these requirements and stay with the philosophy of M. The power-to-weight ratio is the problem – of course you can simply add more power, but that isn’t the smart way. The car may be fast but it will still be heavy, and that is not M.’

Does he consider some models more "M" than others?

‘It is not possible to make all M cars sporty and dynamic; if we did we would miss out on some customers because in different segments there are different needs. If we were to build a hardcore M5 race machine costing over 100,000 euros we would get the hardcore racers but we would miss all the people looking for a car that combines sportiness with luxury. The M6 has both, and what I like to see is that the motorsport team, which is working on the GT3 car [BMW’s replacement for the Z4 GT car, due on track in 2015], is that they can use the sporty genetics of the M6 and leave out the comfort parts, and by doing that they can easily achieve a very, very good racing car. It’s good to see that the essential balance of the car and the drivetrain is being used in a race car, and of course we look at what they’re doing regarding aerodynamics and so on, to see if there’s anything we can transfer back to the series production cars.’

Catch the full interview at CAR.

solstice · 01-14-2015, 11:12 AM

"It is not possible to make all M cars sporty and dynamic"

Scary, then why the heck does the M performance line exist if not to allow M cars to be just that, sporty and dynamic and still cover the comfy,fast and M looks segement? Answer M want to build cars for posers that have to own an M even if they don't want a car that drives like an M. Not good.

Chihuahua · 01-14-2015, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solstice

"It is not possible to make all M cars sporty and dynamic"

Holy shit, I cannot believe van Meel just said that. Sporty and dynamic are just about all an M car should be. Everything else should be compromised, to varying degrees, to accomodate sportiness and dynamism.

ShocknAwe · 01-14-2015, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solstice

"It is not possible to make all M cars sporty and dynamic"

And there it is. Official confirmation that M is dead, operated and owned by bean counters and soul sold to the mass market sales numbers devil.

fecurtis · 01-14-2015, 01:52 PM

Hyperbole, this thread has much of it.

Doctor///M · 01-16-2015, 01:39 PM

Quote:

It is not possible to make all M cars sporty and dynamic; if we did we would miss out on some customers because in different segments there are different needs.

Wat. The whole point of an M brand should be to miss out on some customers!!!

Blubaron79 · 01-16-2015, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

And there it is. Official confirmation that M is dead, operated and owned by bean counters and soul sold to the mass market sales numbers devil.

Pavit · 01-16-2015, 01:41 PM

You're reading too much into the word "sporty" here... as he explained up, sporty as stripe all comfort\luxury and have only a road demon car... Then it won't be a BMW any longer?

jaehshim · 01-16-2015, 01:43 PM

Leave the fucking M alone jesus christ....
stop the stupid hybrid + awd into M cars....
Soon, the M will sound less appealing than a s-line

wdeerfield · 01-16-2015, 01:47 PM

its only a matter of time before we start seeing awd m5 test mules with electric motors driving the front wheels..

phoenixbmwlife · 01-16-2015, 01:49 PM

"It is not possible to make all M cars sporty and dynamic".

Golden Arrow · 01-16-2015, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

And there it is. Official confirmation that M is dead, operated and owned by bean counters and soul sold to the mass market sales numbers devil.

+1

RingMeister01 · 01-16-2015, 01:58 PM

I see these as positive statements by the new boss. The fact is that we (car consumers) are horsepower and 0-60 whores and there is no way to increase performance without controlling traction. The only way to advance against the competition is to go AWD. It's just the result of our own desire. Look at Porsche, they dropped the GT2 for this very reason and the 918 is awd as well, due to traction issues. Companies will not be liable for irresponsible people attempting to be a racer boy and kill themselves (and others) in a car that requires a brain to modulate. Welcome to reality. The boss is trying to implement what we all love about M the best he can within the new formula.

Now, BMW like Porsche should offer us more choices. From the base Carrera to the GT3 there needs to be something for everyone. Especially its "hardcore" guys. We are the most loyal and dedicated of all owners. We'll pay MSRP, get a new model every year and a BMW for our wife and kids. It's essential in the brands history and image.

K bye

DCG · 01-16-2015, 02:03 PM

At least Fraciscus van Meel seams to be open-minded with regards to new innovative technologies at BMW M's disposal, combining and working with new concepts for improving driving dynamics. van Meel is jumping right in the deep-end, lets see what they can come up with.

"If we are talking about M I think we’re talking about rear-wheel drive with added traction."

WANTED: An AWD "Rear-Biased" M4 Competition Package & X4M please! And for the girlfriend she will take an AWD "Rear-Biased" M3.

And for the guys that want a M with AWD "Rear-Biased" that can always be an 'option' and so can the RWD as well. I will √ tick the M AWD "Rear-Biased" option!

ORIGIN M. · 01-16-2015, 02:14 PM

Nothing wrong with a little rear biased xDrive.

I can take a drive in a X3 or a full on X5M and take you wet places faster and more aggressive than any current RWD M car. I can rage in the car beyond belief with stability turned half off or fully off, and the x-car is outstanding and the ass end is very aggressive and you feel the rear pushing and the front adds power and pulls you through the corner and out of the apex. I love m cars. But I absolutely love driving the xDrive cars and especially the X5M/X6M.

ORIGIN M. · 01-16-2015, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

its only a matter of time before we start seeing awd m5 test mules with electric motors driving the front wheels..

Now that I'd like to see.

How about electric motors at every corner.

DCG · 01-16-2015, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red-sauerkraut

Nothing wrong with a little rear biased xDrive.

I can take a drive in a X3 or a full on X5M and take you wet places faster and more aggressive than any current RWD M car. I can rage in the car beyond belief with stability turned half off or fully off, and the x-car is outstanding and the ass end is very aggressive and you feel the rear pushing and the front adds power and pulls you through the corner and out of the apex.

Agreed.

clbmw · 01-16-2015, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RingMeister01

I see these as positive statements by the new boss. The fact is that we (car consumers) are horsepower and 0-60 whores and there is no way to increase performance without controlling traction. The only way to advance against the competition is to go AWD. It's just the result of our own desire. Look at Porsche, they dropped the GT2 for this very reason and the 918 is awd as well, due to traction issues. Companies will not be liable for irresponsible people attempting to be a racer boy and kill themselves (and others) in a car that requires a brain to modulate. Welcome to reality. The boss is trying to implement what we all love about M the best he can within the new formula.

Now, BMW like Porsche should offer us more choices. From the base Carrera to the GT3 there needs to be something for everyone. Especially its "hardcore" guys. We are the most loyal and dedicated of all owners. We'll pay MSRP, get a new model every year and a BMW for our wife and kids. It's essential in the brands history and image.

K bye

+1

DCG · 01-16-2015, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RingMeister01

I see these as positive statements by the new boss. The fact is that we (car consumers) are horsepower and 0-60 whores and there is no way to increase performance without controlling traction. The only way to advance against the competition is to go AWD. It's just the result of our own desire. Look at Porsche, they dropped the GT2 for this very reason and the 918 is awd as well, due to traction issues. Companies will not be liable for irresponsible people attempting to be a racer boy and kill themselves (and others) in a car that requires a brain to modulate. Welcome to reality. The boss is trying to implement what we all love about M the best he can within the new formula.

Now, BMW like Porsche should offer us more choices. From the base Carrera to the GT3 there needs to be something for everyone. Especially its "hardcore" guys. We are the most loyal and dedicated of all owners. It's essential in the brands history and image.

K bye

+1, well said.

rymiller73 · 01-16-2015, 02:48 PM

So....does he understand his target market???

YungDro · 01-16-2015, 02:58 PM

Make a M supercar ffs

PhillyNate · 01-16-2015, 03:00 PM

I was just about to screenshot that hideous quote when I saw a feeding frenzy about it already. Rightfully so. Exactly why BMW (though extremely profitable for the moment) is building itself right into irrelevance.

01-14-2015, 10:13 AM	#1
Jason Administrator 45123 Rep 21,348 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	More thoughts from van Meel on BMW i8M, hybrid M, and more BIMMERPOST NEWS More thoughts from van Meel on BMW i8M, hybrid M, and more 96 COMMENTS Tweet Here is another interview with new BMW M head, Fraciscus van Meel, by CAR, which provides us some more insight into the new M CEO's philosophies and outlook on the M brand. On whether there is a possibility of a BMW i8 M model: ‘I can see a marrying of BMW’s M and i brands, but I can’t see an i8M just now. There is a very close collaboration between M and i – we have an open-book policy, and each brand can look into the other’s magic box of technologies and ideas. The i team used that making the i3 and i8, looking at the carbonfibre technologies M cars have used for the past ten years. They took that as a basis and enhanced that, and that’s something we’re looking at now to see if that carbonfibre technology can help us with the next generation of M cars. Also, we’re looking at the vehicle dynamic control systems, which are very interesting on the i8. We are not trying to make an i8M though – that would be a mixing of cultures that wouldn’t work. We want to retain our positions without ignoring the good ideas each one has.’ Asked again about all-wheel-drive, he responded: ‘Whatever technology we’re talking about, the properties of an M car must remain rear-wheel drive; very agile, very precise. And I don’t like the phrase ‘four-wheel drive’. Emotionally it sounds stoic, neutral and understeery. If we are talking about M I think we’re talking about rear-wheel drive with added traction. We are looking into those things because power and torque will only increase, and we will run into the necessity of these kind of systems.’ And what about hybrid M models? ‘Again, it has to enhance the properties we have right now without making anything worse. I wouldn’t exclude it but we haven’t found the right system yet to fulfill all these requirements and stay with the philosophy of M. The power-to-weight ratio is the problem – of course you can simply add more power, but that isn’t the smart way. The car may be fast but it will still be heavy, and that is not M.’ Does he consider some models more "M" than others? ‘It is not possible to make all M cars sporty and dynamic; if we did we would miss out on some customers because in different segments there are different needs. If we were to build a hardcore M5 race machine costing over 100,000 euros we would get the hardcore racers but we would miss all the people looking for a car that combines sportiness with luxury. The M6 has both, and what I like to see is that the motorsport team, which is working on the GT3 car [BMW’s replacement for the Z4 GT car, due on track in 2015], is that they can use the sporty genetics of the M6 and leave out the comfort parts, and by doing that they can easily achieve a very, very good racing car. It’s good to see that the essential balance of the car and the drivetrain is being used in a race car, and of course we look at what they’re doing regarding aerodynamics and so on, to see if there’s anything we can transfer back to the series production cars.’ Catch the full interview at CAR.
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01-14-2015, 11:12 AM	#2
solstice Major General 5481 Rep 7,083 Posts Drives: 2015 M3 6MT Join Date: May 2013 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	"It is not possible to make all M cars sporty and dynamic" Scary, then why the heck does the M performance line exist if not to allow M cars to be just that, sporty and dynamic and still cover the comfy,fast and M looks segement? Answer M want to build cars for posers that have to own an M even if they don't want a car that drives like an M. Not good.
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01-14-2015, 01:52 PM	#5
fecurtis Banned 3293 Rep 6,299 Posts Drives: 2014 BMW 335i M-Sport Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Arlington, VA iTrader: (0)	Hyperbole, this thread has much of it.
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01-16-2015, 01:41 PM	#8
Pavit Private First Class 50 Rep 140 Posts Drives: Bimmer Beauty Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mauritius iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 BMW F10 535i [0.00]	You're reading too much into the word "sporty" here... as he explained up, sporty as stripe all comfort\luxury and have only a road demon car... Then it won't be a BMW any longer?
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01-16-2015, 01:43 PM	#9
jaehshim Major 511 Rep 1,375 Posts Drives: E90 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NE iTrader: (3)	Leave the fucking M alone jesus christ.... stop the stupid hybrid + awd into M cars.... Soon, the M will sound less appealing than a s-line __________________
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01-16-2015, 01:47 PM	#10
wdeerfield A family of bimmers 2878 Rep 7,777 Posts Drives: '18 G01 X3M40i Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Clifton Park, NY iTrader: (0)	its only a matter of time before we start seeing awd m5 test mules with electric motors driving the front wheels.. __________________ 2018 PB/Black G01 X3M40i \| 699M \| ZDA \| ZPP \| ZPX \| Maxton front lip \| X3M vents \| 15mm Spacers \| Diamond G20 style grills
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01-16-2015, 01:49 PM	#11
phoenixbmwlife Brigadier General 1905 Rep 4,123 Posts Drives: M235i & G30 540i Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boynton Beach iTrader: (0) Garage List 2014 BMW/M235i [0.00]	"It is not possible to make all M cars sporty and dynamic". __________________ Lack of money is not the problem. It is merely a symptom of what's going on inside of you! - T Harv Eker Follow me on Insta https://www.instagram.com/bmwm_life_/ https://www.instagram.com/autogiftua/ https://www.instagram.com/phoenixbmwlife/
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01-16-2015, 01:58 PM	#13
RingMeister01 Croatian 897 Rep 3,613 Posts Drives: PORSCHE Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: NYC iTrader: (0) Garage List '18 Panamera Turbo [0.00] '17 991.2 Carrera G ... [0.00]	I see these as positive statements by the new boss. The fact is that we (car consumers) are horsepower and 0-60 whores and there is no way to increase performance without controlling traction. The only way to advance against the competition is to go AWD. It's just the result of our own desire. Look at Porsche, they dropped the GT2 for this very reason and the 918 is awd as well, due to traction issues. Companies will not be liable for irresponsible people attempting to be a racer boy and kill themselves (and others) in a car that requires a brain to modulate. Welcome to reality. The boss is trying to implement what we all love about M the best he can within the new formula. Now, BMW like Porsche should offer us more choices. From the base Carrera to the GT3 there needs to be something for everyone. Especially its "hardcore" guys. We are the most loyal and dedicated of all owners. We'll pay MSRP, get a new model every year and a BMW for our wife and kids. It's essential in the brands history and image. K bye __________________ NARDO GREY '18 PANAMERA TURBO Ducati V4 S Corse (track only) Husqvarna FS450 (track only) Looking for an SUV
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01-16-2015, 02:03 PM	#14
DCG REBEL 774 Rep 1,281 Posts Drives: BMW X4 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: New York iTrader: (0)	Open-minded to new BMW innovative technologies. At least Fraciscus van Meel seams to be open-minded with regards to new innovative technologies at BMW M's disposal, combining and working with new concepts for improving driving dynamics. van Meel is jumping right in the deep-end, lets see what they can come up with. "If we are talking about M I think we’re talking about rear-wheel drive with added traction." WANTED: An AWD "Rear-Biased" M4 Competition Package & X4M please! And for the girlfriend she will take an AWD "Rear-Biased" M3. And for the guys that want a M with AWD "Rear-Biased" that can always be an 'option' and so can the RWD as well. I will √ tick the M AWD "Rear-Biased" option! Last edited by DCG; 01-16-2015 at 02:38 PM..
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01-16-2015, 02:14 PM	#15
ORIGIN M. Banned 3160 Rep 9,134 Posts Drives: ///M Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Northern Hemisphere iTrader: (0)	Nothing wrong with a little rear biased xDrive. I can take a drive in a X3 or a full on X5M and take you wet places faster and more aggressive than any current RWD M car. I can rage in the car beyond belief with stability turned half off or fully off, and the x-car is outstanding and the ass end is very aggressive and you feel the rear pushing and the front adds power and pulls you through the corner and out of the apex. I love m cars. But I absolutely love driving the xDrive cars and especially the X5M/X6M.
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01-16-2015, 02:48 PM	#20
rymiller73 Second Lieutenant 49 Rep 260 Posts Drives: E92 M3 6MT Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Washington D.C./Fairfax, VA. iTrader: (0)	So....does he understand his target market???
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01-16-2015, 02:58 PM	#21
YungDro Major 1117 Rep 1,149 Posts Drives: - Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Make a M supercar ffs
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01-16-2015, 03:00 PM	#22
PhillyNate ENTHUSIAST 135 Rep 2,096 Posts Drives: 2010 Porsche Cayman Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Philadelphia iTrader: (0) Garage List 2010 Porsche Cayman [0.00]	I was just about to screenshot that hideous quote when I saw a feeding frenzy about it already. Rightfully so. Exactly why BMW (though extremely profitable for the moment) is building itself right into irrelevance. __________________ "what I'm driving here...is an ending." Jeremy Clarkson 2010 Carrara White Porsche Cayman 6mt 2014 Whiteout Toyota GT-86 6mt(Sold 05/23/15) 2011 Alpine White BMW M3 6mt ZCP Coupe(forced retirement 06/06/14) 2008 Alpine White BMW 328i 6mt Coupe(retired 06/21/11)
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