JAKARTA - BMW seems to not be done with the shadow of the M1. Almost 50 years after the mid-engined supercar was born, BMW M executives still have the desire to make its successor.
Motor1, quoted Monday, June 29, reported that BMW M boss Frank van Meel expressed this desire in an interview with BMWBlog. He admitted that he was in love with the original M1 and wanted to make a new version of the legendary car.
"I fell in love with the original M1, but I also really wanted to make a new one," said van Meel.
BMW M design boss Oliver Heilmer also expressed a similar view to BMWBlog.
BMW actually considered several times the successor to the M1. One of the closest is the 2019 Vision M Next Concept.
According to the author and BMW historian, Steve Saxty, the car is already "95 percent complete". The design is a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid hypercar with 600 horsepower. A plug-in hybrid is a hybrid car whose battery can be recharged from an external power source.
BMW originally planned to launch the car around 2022. However, the company's direction changed. BMW chose to focus on the XM SUV and marketed it as the successor to the M1.
The choice was not entirely smooth. XM did not become as big a hit as BMW had hoped. The manufacturer discontinued the basic version of XM for the 2026 model year and cut the price of the XM Black Label.
Motor1 assesses that BMW's challenge is not only about bringing back the M1 name. Developing a mid-engined supercar requires a large investment, while the market is relatively small.
In the midst of an uncertain transition to electrification, emissions regulations, and market demand, new M1 opportunities in the near future are still small.
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