- BMW M CEO Frank van Meel said he would ‘love’ the new M1.
- It’s been almost 50 years since BMW produced the last M1.
- BMW had planned to launch a successor in 2022, but it launched the XM crossover instead.
The legendary BMW M1 may have only been around for a few years, but its influence has been widespread. It’s been nearly half a century since the wedge-shaped, mid-engined supercar went into production, but it’s one model that even today’s BMW executives can’t stop thinking about.
“I love the original M1, but I would love to make a new one,” BMW M boss Frank van Meel said in an interview. BMWBLOG. Oliver Heilmer, head of M Design, expressed similar sentiments towards the publication.
BMW Vision M Next Concept
While BMW has never built a proper M1 successor, the automaker has considered it on several occasions and even came close to producing a new one based on the 2019 Vision M Next concept. According to BMW author and historian Steve Saxti, it featured a 600-horsepower four-cylinder plug-in hybrid hypercar that was “95 percent ready”.
The automaker was planning to launch the car sometime in 2022. Instead, BMW shifted its focus to the XM SUV and marketed the XM as the M1 successor. It hasn’t been the hit BMW hoped, with the automaker discontinuing the base version for 2026 and cutting the price of the XM Black Label.
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Motor1’s Opinion: Although Van Meel might love to build a new car, such a car isn’t likely to come from the automaker any time soon. A mid-engine supercar would require considerable investment at a time when the future of the industry remains so uncertain. There is no point in spending so much money on such a low volume model at the moment.
