I’ll be honest with you: I hate the BMW X5. It’s large, it’s thirsty, it’s butt-ugly and I’d never buy one. But whenever I clamber aboard a V8-equipped X5 4.8i and stab that plank-like accelerator, I can’t help but swoon at the sound of that glorious German bent-eight.
Unfortunately, it seems BMW buyers around the globe are abandoning the pleasures of the company’s eight-pot engines in favour of smaller, thriftier four-cylinder mills, prompting the head honchos in Munich to cut V8 production to just one shift every four days.
We don’t like where this is going…
The Bavarian automaker’s iconic six-cylinder engines are also reportedly under threat, with a total phase-out rumoured to be scheduled for 2011. There’s no word on what future BMW has in mind for the M5 and M6’s V10 engine, but if the humble six is not long for this world, then one could reasonably assume the V10 motors will soon be going the way of the dodo too.
According to Automotive News, BMW’s engine producing capacity will be almost completely devoted to producing four-cylinder motors once 2011 rolls by. It’s clear that BMW is keen to expand its green credentials by ditching its gas-guzzling engines, but what isn’t so clear is what BMW plans to do with its performance car stable once all of those wonderful powerplants are gone.
Will the M3 return to its four-banger roots? Will the gargantuan M6 get the chop? Is BMW secretly working on some kind of fusion-powered performance engine/reactor that we don’t know about? We here at TMR are hoping it’s the latter, but for now, the future isn’t looking all too good for BMW fanatics.
[Automotive News (subscription required)]
Loading ...
Comments
Click here to jump to Add Comment box
How do you get a picture next to your name?
Get a Gravatar. Click here to find out more.
As nice as BMW’s eights are - and they ARE to be sure - the company’s bread ‘n butter all for decades has been their signature smooth straight six.
BMWs bread and butter are 4cyl 3 series for yuppies who want to feel more important than they really are, imo…
Importance of Brand Image vs. Accountancy
Yes their economic bread and butter is in the form of the 4-cyl units but their brand image relies upon the straight six.
The V8 and V12 engines (not to mention V10) are only relatively new phenomena in BMW history.
2011 really is not that far away. How are they going to phase out the six completely by 2011, but be ‘almost completely devoted to 4-cyl units’ by the same date? Surely the V8 would be dropped before the I6? Why pour millions into development of the twin turbo V8 to go into the X6 and F01/02 7 Series (only released this year) when V8s will be phased out within three years (or very soon after)?? Is this information reliable??
We believe that this information is correct. Automotive News, who broke the story, is a well-respected source for industry information, and it’s rare that they get something wrong.
That doesn’t prevent it from being any less surprising though. The prospect of BMW abandoning its six-cylinder engines is almost ridiculous, but unfortunately it seems that smaller motors are the way of the future.
I hope I’m wrong, I really do, but it looks like BMW are intent on turning over a newer, much greener leaf.
No worries Tony, My questions in the last para. were mainly rhetorical, but thanks anyway.
BMW is one of the cornerstones of automotive enthusiasm and passion!
It just sounds like the Head of Efficient Dynamics is taking over the entire company
Of course BMW is not going to drop their six cylinder engines. What is likely is that the V8 and above go, and turbo sixes become the now top-end BMW engines.
Does anyone in their right mind really think BMW will go to 300HP Plus four cylinder engines, or alternative have no engines of 300HP and above?
Use a little logic,,, drop the sixes AND the V-8, leaving nothing but fours?
Ridiculous.