Tightening emissions rules in Europe are forcing automakers to confront how they power their flagship performance models, but BMW M believes it can meet those regulations with updated versions of its twin-turbo straight-six and V8 engines.
Frank van Meel, CEO of BMW M, told Autocar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed “the challenge was not so much to make an engine that is EU7 compliant”, but rather to “keep performance”.
The Euro 7 (or EU7) emissions standard passed in 2024 will come into effect in 2030. Although it was initially planned to be much more stringent, automakers successfully lobbied the EU into largely carrying over the current Euro 6 regulations.
While permissible output levels haven’t changed, testing will now be carried out over a broader range of scenarios to more closely mimic real-world conditions.
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Although Mr van Meel didn’t go into details, he said the engineering team applied some “very interesting” tweaks to make its six- and eight-cylinder engines pass.
When asked if the performance arm considered downsizing to electrified three- or four-cylinder engines, Mr van Meel replied, “No”. He went on to stay he “couldn’t imagine putting a four-cylinder in an M5”.
According to Mr van Meel “the six-cylinder in-line engine is our legacy, and the V8 has got a long history in racing, so we intend to keep going”.
Rival Mercedes-Benz controversially replaced the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in the C63 with a complex 2.0-litre turbocharged plug-in hybrid system. A report last month claims the drivetrain “failed to resonate with our traditional customers”, and will be phased out in favour of an inline six or V8 engine.
The latest M5 has also gone down the plug-in hybrid path, but kept its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. Both power and weight have gone up dramatically in order to keep performance about the same as before, but, critically, the plug-in hybrid system allows owners in some countries to avoid higher road taxes.
BMW M is also developing electric models to be sold alongside petrol-powered counterparts, with the upcoming all-electric 3 Series set to spawn an M3 EV variant.
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