GT Spirit announced earlier today (March 16,2013) that a successor to the BMW 1-Series M coupe is officially in the works and confirmed. Many BMW faithfuls were shocked and taken aback last year when BMW decided to cut production of the 2012 1-series M coupe in June. At that point they had sold 740 units here in North America and another 220 units had been sold in Canada. Initially BMW was only going to build 2700 units worldwide, but due to overwhelming demand, they pushed out 6331 units altogether.
According to BMW M division CEO Dr. Friedrich Nitschke,
“We stopped the production of the 1 Series M Coupe in the middle of last year and we launched in Germany the M135i. It’s a new category for us, the M Performance. At the moment we are very successful with this car. It’s not a pure M car, but we, for example, won the prize of the best sports car in its category in Germany and England. At the moment we are thinking of what can we do with an entry-level car for the M brand. We haven’t made a decision yet, but the 1 M coupe was so successful, that in my opinion, I am absolutely sure we will build a successor."
The 2012 BMW 1-Series M was a serious piece of kit for it’s small exterior footprint. The M was powered by a twin turbocharged inline 6 cylinder also found in the 335is. Power numbers hovered around 340 HP and 332 lbs-ft of torque which was good for a blast to 60 in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 167 MPH (Electronically limited)
Details are nil at this point, but according to GT Spirit, the 1-Series M coupe’s successor will be based on the 2013 BMW M135i. And as are the trends nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised to see some hybrid technology sneak its way into the engine bay.
Source: GT Spirit
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