This is what the head of BMW’s M-Performance car division said Daily Sparkz The recent change in emissions regulations in the US will not change the product range – and will not necessarily extend the life of the German automaker’s V8 and V12 combustion engines.
US President Donald Trump announced last week that he would repeal the 2009 Endangerment Decision. That would mean the U.S. would remove key emissions requirements for new vehicles sold in the world’s second-largest auto market.
The US is BMW M’s biggest market, with just over 72,000 vehicles sold last year, accounting for a third of its record global sales of 213,457 last year, including 5,827 in Australia.
V8 engines are also enjoying “above average” demand in the US, according to a BMW spokesman, who confirmed last month that V8 and V12 petrol engines would remain “a key part” of the company’s strategy.
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Speaking to Australian media this week, BMW’s performance division boss Frank van Meel said the automaker was familiar with dealing with a range of different global regulations and that it would maintain its separate strategy of offering hybrid and electric models going forward.
“Each region has its own standards and its own application to engines, so there is neither an opportunity nor a threat. It just is,” said Mr van Meel Daily Sparkz.
“We’ve had to deal with this for a long time, so we’re used to it, and of course US legislation has always been different than Europe, as has China from Europe and again from the US – so it’s not a new game for us, it’s a game we’ve been playing for a decade.
Due to emissions laws, BMW M recently optimized the plug-in hybrid powertrain (PHEV) of its M5 sports sedan and station wagon, as well as its flagship XM SUV, to meet Euro 7 emissions regulations applicable in Europe in 2030.
The power of the 4.4-liter V8 that powers both models has been reduced, but the power of the associated electric motor has been increased to compensate. The move resulted in the same peak power figures of 550 kW for the XM and 535 kW for the M5 as before, but with lower exhaust emissions.
The change could be rolled out in other countries in 2026 – possibly including Australia – but the BMW M boss said there was no “one size fits all” solution that would fit any of its models in all markets.
“You can’t say ‘Euro 7’ rules the world – that won’t happen because there are different regulations around the world. You just have to comply with the different BOPs (Balance of Performance) and the different races,” he said.
The M boss used the term BOP, used in the sports car racing series in which BMW competes, to describe the rules that “balance” rivals after a win, typically by adding weight to slow the cars and give others a better chance.
BMW M has also hedged its bets by announcing both electric and combustion-powered versions of its next-generation M3 – the EV version of which is due to arrive in 2027 – with the two vehicles based on completely different platforms and incurring significant costs.
The move will come after rivals Mercedes Benz And Porsche experienced significant financial losses after being forced into reactive product strategies following their decision to go all-electric on some of their models – namely Mercedes AMGThis is the case, forgoing V8 power for a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain for its M3 competitor, the C63.
“I think the split strategy is always right because it gives us the answer to our customers’ needs and you always have to listen to your customers,” said Mr van Meel.
“What makes me so positive about the all-electric model is that timing is crucial, because timing is also about having the right technology that you need to build a real car, and we believe that what we are working on is exactly the technology that everyone has been waiting for in a performance car.”
“I would be happy to have this discussion again in a year and a half, once you’ve driven the all-electric car, because everyone we showed this car to just got out and said, ‘I didn’t think something like this was possible’.”
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