400bhp BMW M2 to launch next year

BMW’s M Division is currently working on a hot version of the German brand’s small and stylish 2 Series. Inevitably called the M2, this new model will arrive sometime next year with a 3-litre, 6-cylinder engine producing close to 400bhp of power. 

The M2 has been in the making for quite a few months now, with BMW actively testing the prototype models in light camouflage. When launched in 2015, the vehicle will be introduced as a fitting successor to the brilliant 1M Coupe. 

The M2 reportedly will differentiate itself from the rest of the 2 Series range with the help of its redesigned front and rear bumpers, front wings and 19-inch sporty alloy wheels. Mechanically, it will make use of a turbocharged, 3-litre in-line 6-cylinder petrol engine producing nearly 400bhp of power. Interestingly, it’s being said that this 3-litre unit is not the same engine which also powers the new M3 and the M4. The former is described as an all-new engine designed on the lines of the B57 power-plant that is expected to arrive with the sixth-generation 7 Series early next year.

In what can only be described as great news for keen drivers, the M2 will be available with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. There will, however, be a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox with paddle shifts as an optional extra. 

BMW is expected to showcase the M2,first, at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, before putting it on sale globally by the end of the year. Going by the rising popularity of fully-imported high-performance vehicles among Indian buyers, BMW India could reserve a few units specifically for the Indian market.

Source: autocar.co.uk