M - the badge beloved in SA
DEEP ROOTS: BMW’S PERFORMANCE DIVISION HAS SPECIAL AFFILIATION WITH LOCAL MARKET
Manufacturer acknowledges its strong performance footing.
Back in the day, BMWs with the letter M were quite scarce. It didn’t matter how nice your everyday 3 Series was, it could never top the M3. The styling, the sound, the performance ... you name it, it was the envy of any suburb.
And in appreciating the value of the M performance brand, BMW has over the years expanded the letter into something bigger – and more affordable.
Nowadays you can opt for an M upgrade in almost any model. They start with the optional M styling and sport packs, have various derivatives across model ranges – like an M50d for instance in addition to a X6 M – and top out at not only the good old-fashioned full-blown Ms, but an hotter M Competition model.
In fact, according to chief executive: BMW M GmbH Markus Flasch, every second new BMW on the road in the world nowadays features an M Sports package.
“Ms outsell competitors by far. In fact, we sell more Ms than [Mercedes] AMGs and Audi S do combined,’’ said Flasch, who jetted in for BMW’s second M Festival, held at Kyalami last week.
‘’M is one of our strongest brands. We estimated to sell 120 000 units by 2020 and at the rate we are going are already projecting that we’ll have reached 140 000 in 2019.
“And South Africa is a very prominent market for us. On a global scale, South Africa is ranked 13th overall as far a M sales go.’’
BMW launched a plethora of new M models at the festival including the X3 M Competition, the X4 M Competition and the M340i xDrive as well as two entirely new models ranges, the 1 Series and X6, which both feature M derivatives.
The manufacturer also took time to pay homage to its past by showing off the recently restored 530 MLE to the public for the first time. The story of this unique track-inspired car is well-documented. The 530 MLE was the most successful racing 5 Series in history when it was retired in 1985.
Unique in the world and limited to just over 200 models, the Rosslyn-produced vehicles saw weight-reduction measures that included bodywork and pedals drilled by hand, manual windows with no air conditioning and Mahle wheels.
After a year of painstaking restoration, in Rosslyn earlier this month BMW South Africa unveiled its latest restoration project in the company of four BMW Group South Africa employees who helped build the original more than four decades ago.
“Our brand is defined by its heritage,’’ added Flasch.
“When I see the most successful racing 5 Series in the history of the company, I can understand where South Africans’ love of M stems from.”