THE BMW Vision M NEXT doesn't it remind you of anything? If the M1 came to your mind, no wonder. The Bavarian brand has been adamant about calls for a return to the M1, the first and only car that we can really classify as a super sports car from BMW.
However, looking at the Vision M NEXT, a concept that seeks to demonstrate what to expect from M in the future, it seems to be a straightforward vision of what an M1 would be today, being even more convincing than the M1 Hommage presented in 2008.
The wedge profile is there, the Hofmeister kink and the rear air intake are clearly M1, although interpreted differently, and you can even see two small BMW symbols on the rear, just like the original, but integrated this time in the optics.
It has gull-wing doors, like the BMW Turbo, the 1972 concept that anticipated the M1, and even the body surfaces are flat — no flame surfacing around here — just as was the norm in the late 1930s. 70s and early 80s.
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Is the BMW Vision M NEXT more than just a concept car? We know that a new BMW i8 is on the way… and one of BMW's other Vision concepts, the Vision iNEXT, will give birth to a production model at the beginning of the next decade. So who knows?
Speculations aside, after all what can we expect from M in the future?
Inescapably, electrification. The BMW Vision M NEXT is a plug-in hybrid, marrying an internal combustion engine with one…two electric motors, one per axle. The internal combustion engine assumes a central rear position, just like the M1, being a four-cylinder turbo engine, but nothing else has been announced.
The design couldn't be more different from the i8, which has already confirmed a second generation. Radical redesign for the i8, or will BMW return the M1?
BMW announces a maximum power of 600 hp — as a comparison, the i8 delivers 374 hp — and according to the brand, the mechanical configuration allows you to choose between an electric AWD (four-wheel drive) and a pure RWD (rear-wheel drive), offering the best of both worlds.
Despite being a concept car, BMW announces that the Vision M NEXT is capable of reaching 300 km/h, reaches 100 km/h in 3s, and still gets a 100 km electric range , more than enough for day-to-day needs, making it compatible with the increasingly certain zero emission areas in major urban centers.
The double kidney is filled with a transparent laser-engraved cover with an illuminated pattern taken from the brand symbol itself.
It is to be expected that this combination of hydrocarbons and electrons will eventually become the standard for future models coming out of M.
Autonomous driving? not even see her
Refreshingly, nothing is mentioned regarding autonomous driving — the BMW Vision M NEXT is meant to be driven. The Bavarian brand introduced two concepts, EASE and BOOST. The first refers to the experiences during the journey with the vehicle taking control, something the brand explored in Vision iNEXT.
The BOOST concept is the opposite. The focus is on driving and the driver, the ultimate active driving experience, or the ultimate active driving experience. Something that is also visible in the interior design, tending towards minimalism, where the driver is treated to a very futuristic-looking steering wheel, and in front of him lies what the brand calls the BOOST Pod.
It essentially concentrates all controls and information in three visual planes in the driver's direct line of sight. In the foreground we have the steering wheel itself, which includes two small screens, followed by the Curved Glass Display, which extends in front of the steering wheel as if it were a display, and finally, a Head-Up Display with Augmented Reality.
The information provided adapts to the speed at which we travel — the faster, the more emphasis is placed on driving information, even repositioning itself for a better view.
The BMW Vision M NEXT was unveiled at the #NEXTGen event in Munich, and it remains to be seen whether it will remain just a concept, or whether we will actually see it on the street.
