V8s and Inline-Sixes Enduring Popularity
BMW’s performance realm will not go in the way of Mercedes-AMG’s plan to make available diminished engines for their vehicles. Rather, BMW M are preserving its distinct inline-six and V8 mechanisms until the switchover to electric powertrains occur. There is no contemplation of three- and four-cylinder units joined with electric motors and batteries, Frank van Meel, lead at BMW M, attested in a recent meet.
Speaking to CarExpert, van Meel remarked that BMW M would not be taking the approach of installing a smaller engine with large batteries for their models. “That would not be the right way,” he said. Van Meel stressed, however, that electrification will be a part of the transition to fully electric M vehicles; the XM, for instance, is fitted with an electrified 4.4-liter V8. Electric motors, he clarified, will serve as a supplementary element in this process.
“We have a different view on the matter,” said van Meel. “We want to have a strong base engine, so reducing the size of combustion engines and increasing the size of batteries wouldn’t be the best approach for us. We would rather go straight to electric and do it properly.”
“What about those purely electric M cars?” you might be asking. According to van Meel, they won’t be coming to market anytime soon as the EV technology is not quite ready yet for a track-focused machine – one that can provide “continuous power output in a significant way.”
“To really get a feel for the performance of the Nurburgring Nordschleife, one or two laps at full speed is the way to go,” said the CEO. “However, if you exceed 250 kilometers per hour, the battery won’t be able to sustain it. That’s the limitation at the moment.”
Source: CarExpert
