Last September, ex-Audi executive Franciscus (Frank) van Meel was tapped as the new head of BMW M GmbH, taking over for Dr. Friedrich Nitschke, who retired at the end of 2014. We recently sat down with van Meel to learn a bit about his vision for the iconic performance brand.
C/D: How was your start at M GmbH in Garching?
Frank van Meel: It was exciting to join a company like this, with a wealth of experience accumulated over decades and, at the same time, many new ideas. Of course, I was "tested" by my new colleagues—they wanted to know whether I truly am a car guy. But I go back a long time with BMW; when I started my career at Continental as a chassis engineer, I specifically worked on a BMW application.
What is your strategy for M GmbH, where do you want to take the company?
We have already seen that M has more possibilities than the classic and iconic M3, M4, M5, and M6. Down the road, we will look at even further segments. We will continue to challenge our competitors and offer the agility and precision that is typical of M, but we also want to differentiate ourselves by innovation.
Are you looking at the front-wheel-drive platform?
We are looking at every platform, but front-wheel-drive vehicles have performance limitations. We must stick to our defined characteristics, which include being ready for the track.
How do you feel about the manual transmission?
Everybody feels strongly about it, it is an emotional issue. But from a technical perspective, it makes only limited sense. Weight is better, but fuel consumption and shifting performance are inferior, and it is getting harder and harder for the manual transmission. The community is diminishing because of the improvements of the dual-clutch transmission.
So we will see a day when the M3 is available only with a dual-clutch transmission?
It depends strongly on the market request. We are not going to throw out a technology if there is demand, and we won't argue with the customer.
The X5 M and X6 M are not available with carbon-ceramic brakes. Why?
We felt that they don't need them. Our compound brake is extremely powerful and durable. Ceramic brakes offer a sharper brake feel when they get warm, and they are best suited to cars like the M3 or M4, which are more likely to be used on the racetrack. For customers who drive in an extremely sporty manner we offer race brake pads.
What will happen with M Performance? Do you plan to expand it?
I think there is a big potential for more M Performance models. There are further gaps in some segments between the top BMW cars and the M models, and we are looking into those segments and which models we could put there.
Are you ready to confirm an M version of the X4?
We are looking at further segments, but there is no decision at this moment.
What are your volume targets?
I won't give you specifics, but in the past two years, we had a very strong growth. 2014 grew by 44 percent compared to 2013, and we sold a total of 45,000 units, broken up into 21,000 M models and 24,000 M Performance models. This growth is continuing.
Can you bring M and the electrified i brand together?
It is fascinating to have both bookends in the company and to get the best out of two worlds. For example, they have drawn from the carbon-fiber technology that we used for the past 10 years. On the other hand, we are looking at what we could take from the i8.
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To create your own supercar?
I think everyone at BMW M wants to build a supercar, but it is more important to go ahead with our planned new models. Right now, we are more than happy with the i8 as BMW's halo car.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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