Thread: BMW M remains committed to rear-wheel drive

BMW says manual gearboxes are expected to stay if the demand remainsю BMW M division plans to stick with rear drive, despite the new Mercedes E63 and CLS63 AMG offering 4Matic all-wheel drive to left-hand-drive markets and Audis recently revealed quattro-equipped RS6 and RS7.
BMW M boss Friedrich Nitschke reiterated his stance to Autocar at the Detroit motor show last month. Our philosophy in regards to steering feel and precision is that rear-wheel drive is the best solution, he said. xDrive brings an 80-90kg weight penalty and the M differential is the industrys best rear-drive set-up.
He also discussed the future of manuals. The M5, M6, and new M6 Gran Coupe are available with a six-speed manual box in the US. From a production aspect, it would be much better to only offer the dual-clutch gearbox, said Nitschke. But as long as there is demand, well offer the manual.
Regarding the move away from naturally aspirated engines, Nitschke said: Its not a change in philosophy, its a change in technology. Turbocharging is better for fuel savings and CO2.

He also confirmed there were no imminent plans for an M3 version of the 3-series gt. At the moment, we have an M3 coupe, saloon and convertible. We do not see additional variants at the moment. But it depends on market requirements.