BMW M GT

Does BMW need another sports coupe in its range?

That's probably too general of a question to answer with a simple yes or a no, as it doesn’t specify the size of the car, pricing and where exactly would the engine be mounted. 

That brings us to the BMW M GT design study made by Idries Noah. The South African automotive designer sent us this rendering with the note "thought you guys might find this interesting…", which we certainly do, but he didn't give us any other intel on the car and what was the idea behind its creation. 

Obviously, the engine is mounted up front, so depending on how big it is, it could be a draft for a 6-Series replacement or perhaps something more upscale, like a Mercedes-AMG GT competitor. 

Take a look at it and give us your two cents. 

Designer: Idries Noah

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BMW iM Study

Knowing how much the BMW Group loves expanding into new segments these days, it would be more surprising if they didn't develop a second PHEV, or maybe even a pure-electric sports car, after the i8.

The possibilities are endless, but we see two potential openings: a smaller i4 or a hotter M-badged and –prepped "i" model. Perhaps BMW could do both in one, as in a new i4 PHEV or EV coupe with a top-end M version named i4 M. 

South African automotive designer Idries Noah aptly named this design concept the BMW iM (sorry Scion), without making his intentions clear about where this car would fit in the Bavarian firm's lineup or whether it was styled to run on electricity alone or with the help of internal combustion engine as in the i8, so take your pick. 

Thanks to Idries Noah for sharing his design!

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BMW M8 Supercar

In fact the M1, which was produced for BMW by Lamborghini between 1978 and 1981 in just 456 units, is still the only supercar and, at the same time, the sole mid-engined model to sport the blue propeller.

This may change if M division boss Friedrich Nitschke gets his way. According to Car magazine, Nitschke has proposed a new supercar that will be based on the underpinnings of the upcoming i8 hybrid coupe.

The i8, which will go on sale next year, is powered by a mid-mounted 1.5-liter three-cylinder that drives the rear wheels and an electric motor powering the front ones, for a combined output of 349HP and a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 4.6 seconds.

That’s quick but hardly supercar material. For the proposed M8, the four-cylinder would be replaced by a twin-turbocharged V8 with around 600HP. The M8 would lose the i8’s batteries and electric motor and, with it, 200 kg (441 lbs) from the hybrid’s 1,480 kg (3,263 lbs) weight, and thus it would be significantly lighter than rivals such as the 1,458 kg Ferrari 458 Italia.

Way back in the 1990s, another proposal for M8, based on the 8-Series and powered by the same V12 used in the McLaren F1, never made it past the prototype stage. Four years ago, BMW unveiled the M1 Concept (pictured above) to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original; despite rumors to the contrary, it remained just a concept. Here’s hoping that the third time will be a charm…

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BMW M2 Convertible

BMW M seems open to creating an M2 model, possibly powered by a four-cylinder turbocharged engine instead of the M135.s hatchback's 3.0-liter force-fed straight-six, which would mark a first for the brand since the demise of the original M3 E30 back in the early 1990s.

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2014 BMW M235i Coupe

M Performance is BMW's new sub-brand that sits between the regular models and the thoroughbred M sports cars – something like Audi's S and RS range.

Citing inside sources, the publication claims that BMW will present a coupe version of the second-generation 1-Series renamed as the 2-Series at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with an M Performance variant to follow a few months later at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show.

Keep in mind, however, that BMW has not officially confirmed the change of names for the coupe and convertible models of the 1-Series and 3-Series lineups to 2-Series and 4-Series respectively.

Regardless of what BMW will call the coupe model, the magazine says the M235i will use the same N55 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six delivering 316hp (320PS) at 5,800rpm and 450Nm (332 lb-ft) from 1,300 to 4,500rpm as the M135i hatchback coupled to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or an 8-speed automatic.

It is possible that like the M135i, the M235i will also be offered with all-wheel drive as an option.

What Autoweek forgets to mention in its article though is that an M Performance version of the current 1-Series Coupe has already come to the States under the guise of the 135is Coupe and Concertible, both of which are powered by the M135i's N55 3.0-liter turbo engine, rated at 320hp.

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BMW M550d xDrive Sedan

The M550d is powered by BMW's new 3.0-liter inline-six diesel that features no less than three turbochargers, including two smaller and a larger unit.

The numbers speak for themselves: 381HP, 740Nm (546 lb-ft) of torque at just 2,000 rpm are more than adequate for a 4.7 seconds sprint from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) – just 0.3 seconds slower than the M5.

Being a diesel, the performance and the standard four-wheel drive system of the M550d do not come with a large penalty at the pumps, as the sedan's average fuel consumption is just 6.3 lt/100 km (37.3 mpg US).

Following an earlier announcement, today the Munich-based company published the first non-studio shots of the M550d xDrive.

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