The next BMW M2 – due in 2030, based on usual model cycles – appears likely for electric power, after the boss of BMW’s M division said plug-in hybrid technology makes “no sense” in small cars, and won’t offer a four-cylinder engine.
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The 2030 successor to the second-generation 2023 BMW M2 is expected to be an electric car, with BMW M’s boss ruling out plug-in hybrid power for the sports coupe.
Revealed last week, the latest M2 is believed to be the final new car from BMW’s M division without hybrid or electric power, with stricter emissions regulations in Europe rewarding electrification before petrol engines are set to be banned outright by 2035.
As reported by CarBuzz, BMW M CEO Franciscus van Meel has hinted at the third-generation BMW M2 becoming electric, claiming small plug-in hybrid performance cars make “no sense” if their petrol engines aren’t powerful enough.
“A plug-in hybrid in a small car might be a difficult issue because plug-in hybrids need to have sufficient power, even if the electric part is not available,” Mr van Meel said, according to CarBuzz.
“If your base engine is not strong enough, then a plug-in hybrid makes no sense.”
While van Meel does not rule out mild hybrid power for the next M2, by the time it launches in 2030 (based on typical seven-year model cycles) Europe will be just five years from a planned ban on the sale of new petrol cars, including hybrids – shortening the lifespan of any new model.
German rival Mercedes-AMG is in the midst of downsizing its petrol engines and introducing plug-in hybrid technology, such as in the new C63 – powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor, rather than the traditional twin-turbo V8.
BMW’s M performance division is yet to launch a high-performance electric car, having only revealed its first hybrid model – the XM SUV – last month. It offers i4 M50 and iX M60 ‘performance’ models, but these sit a step below the likes of the M4 and X5 M.
BMW’s global line-up of electric cars includes the i3, i4 and i7 sedans, as well as the iX1, iX3 and iX SUVs – all of which apart from the China-exclusive i3 are available in Australia.
The new BMW M2 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine, producing 338kW and 550Nm.
