Photo: BMW
BMW repeatedly stated that it wasn't going to make a true M car with a 2-liter engine because it would have too much lag. But nobody asked anything about a more powerful M Performance hybrid.
The concept was staring us dead in the face, as many manufacturers thought about doing a hybrid performance hatch. There was Peugeot with its production-intent 308 R. Also, Hyundai N reportedly has something similar in the works.
The new nameplate we're told to expect is the M140e, the long number suggesting that it's an M Performance car while the "e" at the end is a dead giveaway for hybrid tech. Power is supposed to sit at a massive 400 HP and 750 Nm, which frankly sounds absurd. You don't get that much torque from some hardcore AMG or Audi RS models.
Our source, Automobile Mag, suggests the M hatch will not only have the 2-liter turbo giving it its grunt, but also a big 35 kWh battery pack for a potential purely electric range at least 50 miles. Obviously, the output will be split between the four-cylinder turbo at the front and the totally independent motor inside the rear axle. Again, that's pretty insane, but the new 1 Series platform was designed from the start with rear-mounted electric motors in mind.
This is a car nobody asked for, so either it's going to be fantastic and popular or just a footnote of the automotive market next decade. Thankfully, not all of BMW's eggs are in this basket, as the same story talks about other upcoming Bavarian machines.
Some of them you already know about, like the iX3, iNext and i4, all officially discussed and shown as prototypes. But there's also an iX3 on its way to replace the slow-selling i3. The 5 and 7 Series will both have EV versions, as you may have heard already, and an X8 is being discussed right now.
The new nameplate we're told to expect is the M140e, the long number suggesting that it's an M Performance car while the "e" at the end is a dead giveaway for hybrid tech. Power is supposed to sit at a massive 400 HP and 750 Nm, which frankly sounds absurd. You don't get that much torque from some hardcore AMG or Audi RS models.
Our source, Automobile Mag, suggests the M hatch will not only have the 2-liter turbo giving it its grunt, but also a big 35 kWh battery pack for a potential purely electric range at least 50 miles. Obviously, the output will be split between the four-cylinder turbo at the front and the totally independent motor inside the rear axle. Again, that's pretty insane, but the new 1 Series platform was designed from the start with rear-mounted electric motors in mind.
This is a car nobody asked for, so either it's going to be fantastic and popular or just a footnote of the automotive market next decade. Thankfully, not all of BMW's eggs are in this basket, as the same story talks about other upcoming Bavarian machines.
Some of them you already know about, like the iX3, iNext and i4, all officially discussed and shown as prototypes. But there's also an iX3 on its way to replace the slow-selling i3. The 5 and 7 Series will both have EV versions, as you may have heard already, and an X8 is being discussed right now.
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