2023 BMW M2 Competition G87
EVs and most potent BMW yet mark M division’s 50th. Best-selling performance sub-brand plots transition to electric future.
BMW is to launch a wave of new performance models in the 50th anniversary year of its storied M division, among them some of the most powerful combustion-engined models it has yet produced and its first pure-electric sports cars. As it hits 50 this year, M division is on the cusp of a transformative era that will see it phase out its range of petrol-powered coupés, saloons and SUVs to replace them with high-powered electric alternatives, in line with BMW’s pledge to ramp up EV production. From 2025, the firm will usher in its third-generation EVs atop the all-new Neue Klasse platform, which will be entirely scalable for deployment in cars equivalent in size to both the 2 Series and X7. Capable also of hosting PHEV powertrains and hydrogen fuel cell systems, it will replace the FAAR and CLAR structure in use across BMW’s line-up, but not before those architectures have hosted an array of sporting models from M division. Last year, M sold more than 160,000 cars to become the world’s best-selling performance sub-brand.
2023 BMW M2 Competition G87
Perhaps the most keenly anticipated and highest-profile launch on BMW’s agenda for this year is that of the G87-generation M2, which will take the formula of the acclaimed Mk1 model and uprate it across the board to strengthen its position as a leader in the sports coupé segment. The reinvented Porsche 718 Cayman rival is due in dealerships by the end of the year, which means a reveal is only months away. The second-generation 2 Series coupé on which it is based is already on sale, still with rear-wheel drive as standard in nonperformance models and with a four-wheel-drive M240i, which packs 369bhp and 369lb ft, topping the line-up. Power for the M240i comes from BMW’s B58 straight six, but the M2 will use a variant of the more highly strung S58 found in the larger M3 and M4. It will endow the M2 with up to 430bhp in top-flight Competition guise (the only model sold in the UK), representing a 20bhp hike over the previous car and putting it just 73bhp shy of the M3 and M4. Expect the 0-62mph time to come down closer to the four-second mark as a result. 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.