BMW: M buyers 'aren't the most natural to go electric'

With BMW’s product lineup becoming increasingly electrified, how exactly do you bring along those raised on a diet of metallic straight-sixes and tail-happy dynamics?

“It’s been a challenge to keep this up”, M's vice president Sylvia Neubauer told Top Gear. “If you look at our following, which mostly consists of enthusiasts, they aren’t the most natural types to go electric. But I think we should not describe this target group as the only target group, because we are seeing a change already.

"Of course, the enthusiasts are the core group, and it’s going to be harder to convince them to switch, but we will have the right product for them.” 

Indeed, Neubauer’s colleague and head of BMW’s Neue Klasse division, Dr Mike Reichelt, confirmed the next-gen M3 will have both electric and pure-combustion offerings.

That's not the case for all M cars, of course. Take the current G90 M5 for instance: it’s been stuffed with a 727bhp plug-in hybrid V8, sure, but it’s also gained 600kg over the previous F90 as a result.

“On paper, it does shock people, especially the higher-performance clientele," she said. "But our engineers knew just how much weight the saloon and Touring would have if we wanted a battery, and they still managed to find such strong performance. 727bhp from a pure combustion engine is a challenge these days, and given the regulations in Europe, offering an M5 that can also be driven as an EV was an attractive proposition for us.”

Sure, driving on zero emissions is all well and good in the modern world, but the main reason for buying an M5 is because it’s a moniker that’s spent the better part of four decades forging a very distinct reputation. How does Neubauer think this will be preserved going forward?

“It’s not just about acceleration, but the feeling that connects you as a driver with the car and the load. It’s about giving you that added trust, to the point where you know exactly how the car will react at any given millisecond.”