Q&A: BMW M Vice President , kind of a funny read

[Jeff_DML]

And when people think of Porsche they think of the 911 — a modern-day Beetle.


at least some decent questions

for the jumbo thread


The M3 has grown up, both in terms of size and price. Is there room for a smaller, entry-level M car, based around the new 1 Series coupe available in Europe?

Theoretically, yes. A 1 Series coupe would be a good base for such a car, but there has been no decision yet.


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=121767?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..2 .*

[lupinsea]

We built the last M3 CSL to test how many euros customers are willing to pay for less weight. For 20 years, they've learnt to pay for more power, not less weight. The reaction to the CSL was very positive and you will already see in the new M3 that we've spent a lot of money bringing down the weight.

:eeps:


Did the weight go down or up? I forget where everyone's bets and predictions penciled out.

[Jeff_DML]

:eeps:


Did the weight go down or up? I forget where everyone's bets and predictions penciled out.

weight went down, content went up greater thus the increase in weight :D

[SCA]

A M version of the 1er coupe would be sweet!!! :D

[lemming]

i found the interview to be pretty entertaining.

and for all of the F1-propaganda and tie-in to F1, the v8 isn't any more impressive than Audi's RS4/R8 v8 motor. since when did VAG make v8s better than BMW?

what is most ironic about calling the 911 a grown up beetle is that (at least for now), Porsche has been able to keep performance on par with the world's best keeping the six cylinder engine --but they are mindful of weight.

BMW, because they obviously eschew aluminum chassis frames, had no choice but to move the M3 to a v8 because they're either too f*cking stupid in the engineering department or not willing to spend the money on a 3 series chassis to keep the weight down......until the CSL comes out.

[Pinecone]

But they have used aluminum on the 5er.

Doing the main chassis section in aluminum is a BIG step due to the unibody construction.