Exclusive BMW M-branded halo car due after limited Skytop convertible goes down a storm

The forthcoming BMW Skytop convertible will pave the way for more limited-run BMW series-production models, with one eye on an exclusive future halo car for the M brand, Auto Express can reveal.

Sylvia Neubauer, vice president for BMW M customers, brand and sales told us: “[BMW’s] strategy is to have a series of small-series additions that we offer to the markets. There will be something coming at Villa d'Este this year, and probably some future small-series editions with the ‘M’ designation”. 

Asked whether the culmination of such projects might be the inception of a bespoke BMW M model, similar in philosophy to the seventies M1 supercar, Neubauer said: “Definitely; such halo cars clearly position the brand. They make it very, very desirable. 

“[Halo models] have that positive spillover effect on the brand and on the product portfolio. You're making a certain customer group very, very happy with these dream cars,” she told us. “Even those that cannot afford the car, they admire the brand. This will be part of our future road map as well.”

It’s not clear at this stage exactly what form this new halo car might take, though suggestions of an M-badged Porsche 911 rival were met with a wry smile. “That market obviously is an interesting market,” Neubauer said. “But we also know that Porsche customers are very, very loyal to their brand. So if we do it, we definitely need to do it spot on – 100 per cent.

“That question you asked about a dream car? You can trust us, we are working on it internally to make that happen one day,” she said. “Are we dreaming of dream cars, and is BMW M a very entrepreneurial company where you can really make things happen? Yes, let's wait for the right time.”

Electric and hybrid BMW M3 twins

Neubauer went on to reiterate that her team was working hard to deliver next year’s hybrid and electric BMW M3 models in tandem – insisting that “with Neue Klasse on the horizon; we’re clearly focused on the electrified and combustion-engine M3 that we will bring to the market. This is what we're focusing on at the moment.”

The M3 twins will be followed by a pair of closely-related X3 M variants, with Neubauer suggesting that no models are off the table when it comes to the future of the M brand: “If they all go on the [Neue Klasse] architecture, then you can imagine having the same results – putting an M badge on and having a high-performance car.

Neubauer hinted that future CS and possibly even CSL models were in the plan, despite the added challenges faced by the size and weight of electrified vehicles. “The CS philosophy is always to have more power and performance, less weight in the car, and therefore, yes, you could think of continuing the CS model line-up in the future,” she said.

“If you are able to reduce weight and put more power into the car, so yes, I think that will still be a path that we can have a look at.”

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