BMW Doesn’t Want to Flatten the Power Curve

Any reasonable person may wonder if car engines will ever reach a peak, but performance enthusiasts are typically not so reasonable; they always seem to want more.

Well, BMW has some good news.

Markus Flasch, head of the German automaker’s M division, recently told Australian website Which Car that there won’t be a power limit for future models. It's just a matter of tuning and making it all accessible.

"You look 10, 15 years back and if you imagined [617] horsepower in a [sedan], you'd probably be scared. Now, I can give an M5 this [617] horsepower and only drive to my mom, in winter, and she'd still be okay,” he said. “It's all just a question of how you incorporate it into a package that makes it accessible for everyone, and this is what M has always been brilliant in."

Photo: BMW

Flasch is referring specifically to the M5 in Competition trim, but the X5 M and X6 M SUVs are doing the same, not to mention the M8 coupes. Other models like the 7 Series (with a twin-turbo V12) also top 600 horsepower at the moment.

Global sales of BMW M cars have increased 207 percent over the past five years, so clearly people can’t seem to get enough.

What’s next? Back in January, the company predicted it would continue to make gasoline engines for at least another 30 years, but obviously they won’t grow in size. Rather, they will be paired with electric motors to boost output, as other manufacturers are doing. Take the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, for instance, which generates close to 680 horsepower.

Photo: BMW

Without giving any numbers or providing some technical details, Flasch added: "We won't mess around or compromise the distinct character that our M cars have today. An electrified car, whether it's plug in the wall, battery-electric, has to take it up with the predecessor, and I know that there are physical limits, but within physical limits of working dimensions, we are going to make it happen."

Share on Facebook

More on the subject

First Drives2020 BMW X5 M and X6 M: Sweet Monsters
PHOENIX, Arizona—The 2020 BMW X5 M ’s specs are just as intimidating as its flared fenders, massive bumpers and oversized wheels. Simply put, this high-performance midsize SUV is a monster. Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine that produces 600 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. We tested …
NewsBMW Would Like a Porsche 911 Fighter
The legendary Porsche 911 may have to contend with a new direct rival from BMW in a couple of years. That’s the wish expressed by Adrian von Hooydonk, the Bavarian automaker’s design director. Here’s what he told British publication Autocar in a recent interview: “It’s a nice idea. Maybe we …
NewsBMW Says Gasoline Engines Will Live for 30 More Years
The new decade getting under way will be marked by widespread adoption of hybrid and fully electric cars, raising serious questions about the fate of conventional vehicles. Ironically, the same week BMW announced a plug-in hybrid variant of the X1 and X2 small crossovers (Canadian availability has yet to be …
New ModelsThe 444-hp BMW M2 CS is Coming to Canada
BMW’s M division is launching an exclusive and limited-run special edition of the 2 Series for the first time. And the great news about that is Canadians will be able to order one. Following the lead of the outgoing M3 CS and M4 CS , the new BMW M2 CS …
NewsThe Car Guide’s 2020 Best Buys: BMW X7
Every year, The Car Guide publishes its Best Buys in nearly 30 different vehicle categories. Today we continue our review of the 2020 winners with a look at full-size luxury SUVs . Our Best Buy from last year is now sandwiched by a pair of freshly upgraded German rivals. The …
News2021 BMW 5 Series is Armed With New Weapons
The BMW 5 Series can’t afford to let its arch-nemesis, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class , draw all the attention these days. While the latter enters the 2021 model year with a heavily redesigned, fifth-generation model, the former strikes back with key updates to its seventh generation. First, designers slightly enlarged the …