BMW M Boss Frank van Meel on the Electric M3 (iM3), VDX, Alpina & More

[Mani59]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Courtesy of BimmerToday, this great interview with BMW M boss Frank van Meel taken at the sides of the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2025.

As part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2025, we had the opportunity to chat with BMW M CEO Frank van Meel. Topics include M sales in 2025, the new BMW i4 M60, the electric M3 ZA0 compared to its combustion-engine counterpart, development work with the VDX, and the future of Alpina under BMW

[hrf]

What a horrible AI translation.

[GOLFFRR]

Originally Posted by hrf

What a horrible AI translation.

lol at first I was like what is going on.. once you get past that and adapt there is some good info in there.

I personally am interested to see how this all rolls out (iM3).

[hotrod182]

Interesting how he said compared to the iM3, the combustion engine is relatively "helpless." He is right though, some like the "feel" of a slower manual transmission, (or louder) car, while others would rather have the car with better acceleration and quicker laptimes. I was kind of shocked to see a new 3 row Lucid Gravity running mid 10's at 139mph on the Hagerty You Tube comparison. The quickest gas SUV RSQ8 was almost 20mph slower in trap speed!

[M2PDX]

Originally Posted by hotrod182

Interesting how he said compared to the iM3, the combustion engine is relatively "helpless." He is right though, some like the "feel" of a slower manual transmission, (or louder) car, while others would rather have the car with better acceleration and quicker laptimes. I was kind of shocked to see a new 3 row Lucid Gravity running mid 10's at 139mph on the Hagerty You Tube comparison. The quickest gas SUV RSQ8 was almost 20mph slower in trap speed!

Speed wise in a straight line that is absolutely true.

But........I drove the all electric i5 M60 a couple of times when I did the BMW Track Days program at Thermal last year, and hated it. No feel, heavy as a tank, hard to get rotated in time to hit the apex, and I'm sure will eat through brakes at a wallet draining pace. It was simply no fun. Maybe BMW can fix all that with the iM3?????

[hrf]

Actually this new car looks much better and intersting. I think it will be a good platform for future M3s.

[225]

Originally Posted by M2PDX

Speed wise in a straight line that is absolutely true.

But........I drove the all electric i5 M60 a couple of times when I did the BMW Track Days program at Thermal last year, and hated it. No feel, heavy as a tank, hard to get rotated in time to hit the apex, and I'm sure will eat through brakes at a wallet draining pace. It was simply no fun. Maybe BMW can fix all that with the iM3?????

As an i5 m60 owner I agree, it's a monster in a straight line but I'd rather take my old m340 on a track, but then I dont think it was ever designed to live on a track even if it is an "m lite" .
You only have to look at Hyundai with a Ionic 5n to see how to do it with an EV though.

Saying that according to the AI translation the M5 only has 72bhp so EVs do rule!

[Hotflare]

Originally Posted by 225

As an i5 m60 owner I agree, it's a monster in a straight line but I'd rather take my old m340 on a track, but then I dont think it was ever designed to live on a track even if it is an "m lite" .
You only have to look at Hyundai with a Ionic 5n to see how to do it with an EV though.

Saying that according to the AI translation the M5 only has 72bhp so EVs do rule!

This is exactly why I’m keeping my 6mt f80… the lifespan for manual cars for the track is fading away and I feel it’ll be buried forever once us millennials are at the geriatric parts of our lives lol. The world of EVs will be the have all end all with power and performance but due to their weight and sizes idk how Motorsports will thrive 50 or so years from now

[dumptruck]

Originally Posted by Hotflare

idk how Motorsports will thrive 50 or so years from now

Good point. Time trials or bust i guess.

[usmabmass]

Originally Posted by Hotflare

idk how Motorsports will thrive 50 or so years from now

Probably in the same or greater way that they have thrived since the invention of motors.

[BlkGS]

Originally Posted by Hotflare

This is exactly why I’m keeping my 6mt f80… the lifespan for manual cars for the track is fading away and I feel it’ll be buried forever once us millennials are at the geriatric parts of our lives lol. The world of EVs will be the have all end all with power and performance but due to their weight and sizes idk how Motorsports will thrive 50 or so years from now

In 50 years the goal is for the idea of driving a car to be dead, and the idea of private car ownership to be gone. It'll be the equivalent of owning a piano today. Back before the internet and TV and all that,.people had pianos to entertain themselves, and it was very common. But now entertainment has been outsourced to companies and so people who have pianos are either rich snobs who have to have everything, or they're really into music. The idea of motorsports will be as strange as the idea of a drum competition today. Sure they exist, but they're not going to be things the average person is into.

Asking "why would you drive yourself" will be the same as asking "why would you play your favorite song instead of listening to it" today. And no, this is not a good thing.

This is of course of the tech oligarchs get their way. There's as till hope to defeat them, but it's slipping in a lot of places.

[hotrod182]

Originally Posted by M2PDX

Speed wise in a straight line that is absolutely true.

But........I drove the all electric i5 M60 a couple of times when I did the BMW Track Days program at Thermal last year, and hated it. No feel, heavy as a tank, hard to get rotated in time to hit the apex, and I'm sure will eat through brakes at a wallet draining pace. It was simply no fun. Maybe BMW can fix all that with the iM3?????

If you have any doubts, just look at what a 5300lb Lucid Sapphire did in Car And Driver's Lightning Lap competition at VIR. Remember, this is a luxury car that is beating super cars on a road course.

https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...ning-lap-2025/

[Erebor]

Any i5 or i4 will not be close to what the NK M3 will be capable of. These cars are "sporty limos". They do not reflect what M division is going to pull out of the M3.

[robopp]

Originally Posted by hotrod182

If you have any doubts, just look at what a 5300lb Lucid Sapphire did in Car And Driver's Lightning Lap competition at VIR. Remember, this is a luxury car that is beating super cars on a road course.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a63742596/2024-lucid-air-sapphire-lightning-lap-2025/

That has a super car price tag - $250k.

[thaalrasha]

Originally Posted by M2PDX

Speed wise in a straight line that is absolutely true.

But........I drove the all electric i5 M60 a couple of times when I did the BMW Track Days program at Thermal last year, and hated it. No feel, heavy as a tank, hard to get rotated in time to hit the apex, and I'm sure will eat through brakes at a wallet draining pace. It was simply no fun. Maybe BMW can fix all that with the iM3?????

The i5M60 is poor in handling, but it hadn't had a real M treatment for its chassis and suspensions. Try an M5 instead ... or maybe more relevant to the M3 : a Tycan . Those things handle pretty well despite the wieght. If BMW can do a similar job a porsche on a dedicated EV platform, there might be good surprises in the handling.

[hotrod182]

Originally Posted by thaalrasha

The i5M60 is poor in handling, but it hadn't had a real M treatment for its chassis and suspensions. Try an M5 instead ... or maybe more relevant to the M3 : a Tycan . Those things handle pretty well despite the wieght. If BMW can do a similar job a porsche on a dedicated EV platform, there might be good surprises in the handling.

Absolutely..a Taycan Turbo S can run a quicker Nurburgring time than any production M car.

[Schn3ll]

Originally Posted by thaalrasha

The i5M60 is poor in handling, but it hadn't had a real M treatment for its chassis and suspensions. Try an M5 instead ... or maybe more relevant to the M3 : a Tycan . Those things handle pretty well despite the wieght. If BMW can do a similar job a porsche on a dedicated EV platform, there might be good surprises in the handling.

Had a Taycan, was still extremely boring after owning M cars, Blackwing, R8 and 911’s. I couldn’t sell it fast enough. It’s an appliance and lasted 3 months in my garage, luckily I sold and only lost $10k. If I held another 6 months it would have dropped $40k.

I will never own another goofy EV.

[silverstar335]

Originally Posted by M2PDX

Speed wise in a straight line that is absolutely true.

But........I drove the all electric i5 M60 a couple of times when I did the BMW Track Days program at Thermal last year, and hated it. No feel, heavy as a tank, hard to get rotated in time to hit the apex, and I'm sure will eat through brakes at a wallet draining pace. It was simply no fun. Maybe BMW can fix all that with the iM3?????

Try a Taycan

[stbm5]

i don't get all the EV hate, i think its fine to prefer ICE but its hard to argue against the speed of electric. theres a reason that so many LeMans winners are hybrids, in fact most wins of the last 20 years were with hybrids.

[BimmerMan33]

I believe that with development of solid state batteries in the next few years, the weight of EVs will be significantly lower, that should be a very positive thing for M cars and Motorsports in general!

[Tejas1836]

Originally Posted by Hotflare

This is exactly why I’m keeping my 6mt f80… the lifespan for manual cars for the track is fading away and I feel it’ll be buried forever once us millennials are at the geriatric parts of our lives lol. The world of EVs will be the have all end all with power and performance but due to their weight and sizes idk how Motorsports will thrive 50 or so years from now

Originally Posted by usmabmass

Probably in the same or greater way that they have thrived since the invention of motors.

Tron

[Rollidude]

This thing looks like a Mitsubishi Evo but I hope people like it so I can get a good deal on a G80