[clbmw]

Originally Posted by GodfatherNiko

Give us an M3 Touring instead!

This would make more sense IMO and would poach sales from Merc and Audi. Shame it'll never happen

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by Daaan

Don't think BMW is really following Audi...

Audi is selling a lot of RS4 & RS6 tourings in Europe, and BMW has nothing to offer there and stoped the M5 touring quite a while ago...

Personally I think we won't see the M4 GC, this part will be taken over by the i4 (performance)

Again, the market is there
Whether BMW wants a piece of it or not is the question.
Considering the pissing contest between BMW and Mercedes the last few years about which brand sells more, I’d guess they wouldn’t need leave a niche without a model to compete

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

It actually isn't this straightforward since some 4 GC sales are the result of cannibalization from the 3 Series. Also, an M4 GC isn't a "free" product for BMW - there would be additional costs due to unique parts, plus testing and so forth. Finally there are other less tangible considerations such as the effect that potentially lower M3 sales would have on the M brand and the effect on the halo potential for the dual motor i4. No doubt BMW has a formula for all of this, knows the "break even" point, and has determined that the business case for an M4 GC has not been strong enough to give it the green-light thus far. However, that could change in the future.

Considering BMW spent all that money on the Z4
A model that sells way less then an M GC
I don’t think it’s a matter of cost

The effect of lower sales for M3 didn’t stop then from splitting the coupe and sedan into M3 and M4

The business case might not be there for BMW , but that just means extra sales for Audi with no competition from bmw or Mercedes.
It’s not a matter of if BMW will make an M GC, it’s a matter of when.

Agreed that for Audi there is no RS4 sedan so it’s not an exact match to M4 and M4 GC
But if you only had to have 2 models
A coupe and sedan doesn’t make as much sense as a sedan and GC
Considering that Audi sells more of the sport back than the coupe.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by kmarei

Considering BMW spent all that money on the Z4
A model that sells way less then an M GC
I don’t think it’s a matter of cost

Right, but that's a different type of business case since its a two-door and there is low risk of cannibalization.

What is perhaps revealing here, however, is that there is no Z4 M.

The effect of lower sales for M3 didn’t stop then from splitting the coupe and sedan into M3 and M4

That's also a different situation since the two door models were not going to cannibalize from the M3 any more than they would under the M3 name (which is to say, not enough to keep the two from coexisting in prior generations). Yes, the absolute number of vehicles going by the name M3 would and did obviously decrease, but they knew the M3 would remain a strong product on its own because it is the only one with four door practicality. Once you throw in another one with that feature there's more overlap.

You do have a valid point here, though. Obviously the 3 Series - BMW's most iconic nameplate - is under similar pressure from the 4 Series GC as well. We could also hit closer to home and bring up the M5 and the M8 (and former M6) Gran Coupe. In the latter case, its not even a four door vs. five door competition, making the two even more interchangeable. One thing to remember is that at that price-point you have a lot more margin so your break-even point in terms of absolute sales is significantly less. It doesn't explain everything, but it is an important factor.

The business case might not be there for BMW , but that just means extra sales for Audi with no competition from bmw or Mercedes.
It’s not a matter of if BMW will make an M GC, it’s a matter of when.

I agree a flagship G26-based (or perhaps based on the G26's successor) M product sitting above the M440i will eventually come, but when it does, don't be surprised if it is electric. As SCOTT noted above, they are at least toying with the idea of using the M brand on the upcoming high performance i4 model.

Agreed that for Audi there is no RS4 sedan so it’s not an exact match to M4 and M4 GC
But if you only had to have 2 models
A coupe and sedan doesn’t make as much sense as a sedan and GC
Considering that Audi sells more of the sport back than the coupe.

You're implying Audi's sales would increase if they had two models with four doors or more in the US instead of one with four doors or more and one with just two. I'm not convinced that is true. Of course, we have no data so who knows.

Here's Audi's most recent commentary on the RS5 Coupe:

"The coupe is still the sportiest and most emotional variant in our portfolio. We're seeing demand for SUVs has increased over the past five years, but in our eyes the coupe is still one of the icons because no other body style can embody power in a more design-oriented way. We want to stay within that segment. It's not just about design; we love the way a coupe handles, thanks in part to the shorter wheelbase," he affirmed.

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/05/14/...i-rs5-updated/

[mbanck]

Originally Posted by GodfatherNiko

Give us an M3 Touring instead!

I guess it would make sense and these days it is a bit weird for M to claim some moral higher ground about "pure sports sedans/coupes" on not having a touring while also buildings M SAVs IMO.

But that wouldn't bring a M3 Touring to the US automatically, due to the fact that all the M SAVs are built in the US whereas the M3 Touring would have to be imported from Europe. I can sympathize with the business decision of going for the SAVs then.

I think all Audi RS models are built in Germany anyway, so their US branch has less thinking to do about which models to import.

[Imola3]

Best looking rendering yet IMO (minus the quarter panel M badges)

[mbanck]

Originally Posted by Imola3

Best looking rendering yet IMO (minus the quarter panel M badges)

Well, it might look nice, but it's not very realistic I think: The front bumper/grille seems to be from the M440i but it has an M4 badge (the M3/M4 apparently get a different looking front bumper). It also doesn't have the M side mirrors. And finally, it's well known that the 4 series/M3 will have that hood line...

[SCOTT26]

I see they tried but failed to render the 420d with M Sport Packet.

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

You're implying Audi's sales would increase if they had two models with four doors or more in the US instead of one with four doors or more and one with just two. I'm not convinced that is true. Of course, we have no data so who knows.

Here's Audi's most recent commentary on the RS5 Coupe:



https://www.autoblog.com/2020/05/14/...i-rs5-updated/

It would be very interesting if we could see sales figures for RS4, RS5 coupe, and RS5 SB in Europe

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by Imola3

Best looking rendering yet IMO (minus the quarter panel M badges)

I really like that one
Those horizontal pieces in the grille break up the shape a little bit
Last thing you want with such a vertically long grille is vertical lines
What’s the saying if youre fat don’t wear horizontal stripes