Aimed purely at racetrack fanatics
German leader in fast-car sales unveils the new M2, M4 CSL and XM at sold-out BMW M Fest at Kyalami
As I stood in a queue that snaked halfway through the domestic departure hall at OR Tambo last week, the concept of “revenge travel” struck home. The term, which emerged late last year as Covid travel restrictions began to lift, has become a popular buzz word, referring to an unprecedented surge in world travel to make up for lost time and cancelled plans.
Having travelled locally in 2020 and 2021, masked up in airports reminiscent of abandoned church halls, I had not seen ORT this jam-packed since 2019.
While “revenge travel” is a thing, so too is “revenge shopping”, if 2022 car sales are anything to go by. Over the past year, there has been significant growth despite high inflation, load shedding, interest rate hikes and other volatile economic factors.
New vehicle sales so far this year are 13.4% ahead of the corresponding period in 2021. I have a sense that, just like the urge to “revenge travel”, people are throwing caution to the wind and making passion purchases – like M performance BMWs.
Which gets to the reason I found myself in that ungodly queue at ORT. I was on my way back to Cape Town after spending the previous day with BMW at the Kyalami Grand Prix racetrack, where the company was showcasing its M performance brand, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Globally, when it comes to high-performance sales, BMW rules the roost ahead of its arch-rivals, Merc AMG and Audi Sport. In South Africa, the trend is echoed. According to the head of BMW in SA, Peter van Binsbergen, BMW M brand sales have increased 24% year-on-year. The M performance brand holds a 20% share of the market, ahead of its rivals.
We in the media were given a taste of what was in store for the public at BMW’s M Fest that took place last weekend – like holding on for dear life on hot laps with South Africa’s wunderkind racer, Sheldon van der Linde. The other crowd-pullers will have been the all-new BMW performance M models on display. BMW SA unveiled no fewer than three new Ms, making it clear that its mission is to increase its dominance in this high-priced segment.
2023 BMW M2
Set to go on sale in April, the all-new M2 enjoyed its global premiere at Kyalami. Manufactured in Mexico at BMW’s plant in San Luis Potosí, the new M2, nicknamed the “baby M”, is a two-door coupé with a boot that probably won’t accommodate much more than the golf clubs.
It’s a rear-wheel-drive with a 3.0l twin-turbo straight-six petrol engine tuned to deliver 338kW and 550Nm of torque. The new speedster enjoys 7kW more than the previous-generation M2 Competition model and it’s a hefty 66kW up on the last straight M2. Offered in a 6-speed manual and 8-speed Steptronic, the new Beemer hurtles from 0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds in the manual derivative, and a speedier 4.1 seconds by way of the auto gearbox.
These thrilling figures have been made possible by decreasing the M2’s weight. The coupé now has a carbon-fibre roof and carbon-fibre bucket seats. In years to come, when internal combustion engines will surely be seen as relics of a carbon-sinful past, this M2 will be remembered as the last of BMW’s M performance models not to employ any type of hybrid system.
BMW M4 CSL
Aimed purely at racetrack fanatics, with a mere 1,000 units made and just 15 earmarked for the local market (which have all been sold), the all-new M4 CSL will undoubtedly become a collector’s piece. It’s the first time in two decades that BMW has used the CSL moniker – “Competition Sport Lightweight” – and this one is touted as BMW’s fastest-accelerating performance model to date. Uprated from the previous M4’s 375kW to 405kW, and offering massive torque of 650Nm, the M4 CSL sprints from 0-100km/h in just 3.7 seconds, with a top speed of 307km/h.
As with the new M2, BMW designers worked at saving weight by adding a carbon bonnet, boot lid and M sport seats, trimming around 48kg in weight. Forget about sharing this drive with rear passengers, as this speedster has done away with back seats, saving a further 21kg.
BMW XM
The XM made its local debut at the M Fest. There’s been a mixed response to this massive 2,710kg SUV with its squinting headlights, ginormous illuminated kidney grilles and stacked trapezoidal exhausts. It aims to go head-to-head with the Merc AMG G63 and Lambo Urus. (I’ve secretly dubbed it the “Bimmer Hummer”.)
Celebrated as the most powerful series-production M ever built, the XM has a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, paired with a 25.7kWh lithium-ion battery and 145kW/280Nm electric motor, offering an all-electric range of 88km.
Combined with its electric drive, the XM delivers 480kW/800Nm, accelerating from 0-100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds. I must say, after getting up close with this giant, I became rather fond of its polarising looks.
After a three-year Covid hiatus, the world’s largest BMW M Festival at Kyalami was by all accounts a huge success, with all 25,000 tickets sold out. “Revenge jolling” might soon become the next buzz word.
Pricing:
BMW M2 – No official pricing yet, but expect around R1.5-million
BMW M4 CSL – R 3,570,038
BMW XM – No official pricing yet, but expect around R4-million