BMW hasn’t really gone for a full-on halo sports car, borderline supercar, in decades, like the M1 from the 1970s. You could consider the BMW i8 hybrid from a few years ago, but it honestly lacked the performance of a true halo model, despite having plenty of the looks required. But now, the German automaker might be cooking up something extra special on the back of its recent successful limited-run sports cars.
BMW
BMW is a German luxury car and motorbike manufacturer and current owner of Mini, Rolls-Royce, and Alpina. With roots dating back to 1913 as Rapp Motorenwerke, it officially became Bayerische Motoren Werke in 1922 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. BMW’s first car was built in 1928 when it built the Austin 7 under license from Dixi, which was called the BMW 3/15. BMW grew into a manufacturer of premium and luxury automobiles, launching iconic nameplates like the 3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series, and is today known as one of the leading luxury automakers in the world, while the BMW M division is hailed as a leading manufacturer of performance cars.
- Founded
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1916
- Headquarters
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Munich, Germany
- Current CEO
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Oliver Zipse
- Founder
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Karl Rapp
- Owned By
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Publicly Traded
BMW Dreams Of A Halo Model
Sylvia Neubauer, vice president for BMW M customers, brand, and sales, recently spoke to AutoExpress about the upcoming limited-run BMW Skytop convertible expected to debut in production form at this year’s Villa d’Este event in Italy next month. The exec went on to reveal that the company desperately wants to work on new dream cars like a halo sports car in the vein of the classic M1.
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“[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 AutoExpress. “Even those that cannot afford the car, they admire the brand. This will be part of our future road map as well.”
BMW Seems Very Keen On Rivaling Porsche But Knows That’s A Tough Target To Hit
As for what sort of vehicle we could potentially expect from BMW’s dreams coming to fruition, Neubauer went on to wink when the Porsche 911 was suggested, and offered: “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 percent.”
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We’ve captured spy images already of BMW testing what appears to be a Neue Klasse-inspired coupe model that could be the new halo model being discussed. Its proportions are close to that of the original M1, and the Neue Klasse platform supports both gas and electric models, so it could go either way.
Source: AutoExpress
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