New 2022 BMW M2 leads M's 50th anniversary model onslaught

BMW’s commitment to the ‘puristic’ driving experience of its junior M model extends to a standard-fit six-speed manual gearbox, a more rigid body shell and suspension set-up and the same 50:50 weight distribution as the M240i.

BMW M3 Touring

The BMW M3, currently in its 36th year of production and sixth iteration, has not yet been made available in BMW 3 Series Touring guise, despite being sold alongside the standard BMW 3 Series estate since its launch.

Now, however, M division is nearing completion of the first-ever M3 Touring, which is tipped to arrive in the next few months and will be among the quickest and most potent estate cars on sale.

Test mules remain thickly camouflaged, but even several months out from the car’s unveiling, it is clear the G81 M3 Touring will be differentiated from the saloon only by its extended roof.

The vertically oriented grille from the M3 and M4 is carried over – a departure from the horizontal face worn by the standard Touring – and flared arches, Competition alloys and quad-exit exhausts will help separate it from other angles.

It will use the S58 straight-six engine, but like the M3 saloon will pack 503bhp in Competition form and, despite around 80kg of extra weight, is expected to broadly match that car’s performance stats, with the potential to shade the V6-powered Audi RS4 Avant.

It is expected to arrive at roughly the same time as BMW reveals a series of updates for the wider 3 Series range, lining the M3 Touring up to receive the firm’s eighth-generation iDrive infotainment platform, as pioneered by the BMW iX and BMW i4 EVs.

BMW M4 CSL

While the M3 gets a more practical estate option, the M4 coupé will be offered in a hardcore track-focused guise, with enhanced performance and dynamics – and it could revive the hallowed CSL nameplate.

As with the original E9-generation BMW 3.0 CSL (for Coupé Sport Leichtbau, or lightweight), the exclusive M4 range-topper is expected to be heavily uprated, joining the similarly conceived BMW M5 CS in pursuit of faster lap times and segment-leading performance.

It will pick up where the previous-generation BMW M4 GTS left off and can be expected to adopt a similarly outlandish aero package, Alcantara-intensive interior, sportier suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes and lightweight body panels.

A power hike is also on the cards to further differentiate it from the M4 Competition, potentially courtesy of modifications derived from the M4 GT3 racer, which makes 582bhp from its 3.0-litre engine.

BMW XM

The XM is only the second bespoke model from M division, but it is poles apart from the mid-engined M1 supercar that spearheaded M’s push into road cars in the late 1970s.

Like that car, the XM will kick-start a radical new era for Munich’s performance brand, being the first model in the division’s portfolio to adopt a plug-in hybrid powertrain. As previewed by last year’s Concept XM, this will take the form of a petrol-electric system built around the firm’s venerable 4.4-litre V8, as used by the M5.

With a single electric motor boosting its combined reserves to 740bhp and 734lb ft, it is set to be the most powerful road car BMW has yet produced, and while it is likely to weigh well over two tonnes, it will also be among the fastest. A projected electric range of 50 miles from a battery of more than 20kWh in capacity will also give the XM one of the longest engine-off ranges of any BMW PHEV.

The production car, tipped to be revealed towards the end of this year, will largely retain the outlandish exterior styling and radical new interior treatment shown on the concept, which hints at a stylistic shift for BMW M’s electrified cars. The next-generation M5, however, which will use a variation of the V8 PHEV drivetrain, will be more traditionally styled when it arrives in 2023.

I7 M60

The top-rung M version of the all-new and all-electric i7 saloon will launch alongside the eighth-generation 7 Series later this year.

BMW’s answer to the Mercedes-Benz EQS will share its CLAR platform and fifth-generation eDrive powertrain with the new BMW iX SUV. That means it will be available in performance-oriented M60 guise, with a twin-motor set-up giving 611bhp and 811lb ft for a sub-four-second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 155mph – figures that will make the M60 the quickest 7 Series yet produced.

The model’s dynamic credentials will be bolstered by a wheel-slip limitation function and M-tuned self-levelling air suspension, while an array of M-specific displays, sounds and colour schemes, as well as a raft of extra equipment as standard, will help mark it out from the standard i7.

High-power PHEV could form basis for first-ever M7