BMW M2 Might Be Manual Only

YAHOO AUTOS

 

                   

By Nicole Wakelin

 

 

 

 

The BMW M2 is coming, and soon. The car will sit just above the M235i making those who want a little more race car in their daily driver happy, and filling the gap left by the new M3 and M4 in their much more everyday friendly guises.

Expect a more beefed up performance look for the M2 with muscular proportions, flared wheel arches and that signature M car hood bulge. Under that hood will be the M235i’s 321 horsepower 3.0-liter single-turbo straight six, but with a bit more to offer. The power on the M2′s engine will be coming in somewhere over 350 horsepower.

Quoted in Autopress UK, Carsten Priest, head of product development for M, said, “If you look at the M3 and M4, it’s not just about putting in the biggest engine with the biggest displacement and highest horsepower.

 It’s about the right balance between power and weight, so you have a car that’s quick enough for acceleration, but agile enough and with an additional edge.”

BMW is walking a fine line between creating a car that a unique set of buyers will want and taking away from those who are looking at the M3 and M4. It may not actually bring anyone new to the brand. Although there will be some overlap, they want this car to be unique from the others.

One way they’re doing that is by saying a manual might be standard. No automatic. That cuts out a whole range of buyers right there, just as with the 1 Series M coupe, and makes it clear that this is a car for drivers only.