BMW’s M Division Considering Higher-Performance Variants to Combat AMG’s Black Series

BMW’s M division hasn’t ruled out producing more-exclusiver, higher-power models like the M3 GTS.

BMW’s M GmbH high-performance division is considering further low-production derivatives positioned above the its current lineup. Short of a confirmation, BMW spokesman Matt Russell said that the company would “not rule out high-performance, ultra-exclusive derivatives, such as the M3 CSL, which BMW produced more than 1200 units, or the more recent M3 GTS or the M3 CRT, which sold in 140 and 65 units, respectively.

These cars will continue to be standalone products, and there are no plans to launch an ultra-high-performance sub-brand, such as AMG’s Black Series line. “We are not announcing any kind of sub-line or sub-segment, other than M Performance automobiles,” said Russell. The M Performance line, which has been introduced in Europe last year, is positioned below the standard M models and features BMWs with significant performance upgrades engineered by M GmbH. Such a lineup eventually will come to the U.S. market as well.

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• Feature: 25 Years of the BMW M3—Four Generations on the Track
• Comparison Test: 2012 BMW M3 Coupe vs. 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe
• Comparison Test: 2013 Audi S6 vs. 2013 BMW M5, 2012 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

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The hubbub surrounding BMW beginning work on rivals to Benz’s AMG Black Series models stems from tweets courtesy of Automobile‘s Marc Noordeloos. Noordeloos tweeted that during an interview with BMW M execs at this year’s Detroit auto show, he was told to expect one or two special cars arriving stateside in the coming year, and the implication was that those cars would rival the Black Series offerings.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/rSUNLnPjnNA/

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