[Tag]

For years BMW marketing distinguished M cars from the rest of their lineup as being the top of the line performance models. They not only touted all the performance features, but went out of their way to point out all the aggressive styling cues only found on an M car.

Over the past decade they started badging non-M cars with the M logo, then making M-lite models all the way up to the current M240i which has M logos all over it, M mirrors and a power dome. Now they're putting quad exhaust on non-M cars? If you go to BMWs website and click on M and you'll see these 'M-lite' models listed as M models.

I get that they're whoring out the M brand to sell cars, but they are literally cannibalizing every aesthetic feature that separated out an M car from the rest. Makes no sense to me.

BMW 1 Series Spied With Quad Exhaust Tips, Could Be M140i

[BMWGirlFL]

Evolution. Maybe necessitated by/related to future electrification. Real differences between "Performance" and "High Performance" remain.

[atl_1M]

Originally Posted by Tag

For years BMW marketing distinguished M cars from the rest of their lineup as being the top of the line performance models. They not only touted all the performance features, but went out of their way to point out all the aggressive styling cues only found on an M car.

Over the past decade they started badging non-M cars with the M logo, then making M-lite models all the way up to the current M240i which has M logos all over it, M mirrors and a power dome. Now they're putting quad exhaust on non-M cars? If you go to BMWs website and click on M and you'll see these 'M-lite' models listed as M models.

I get that they're whoring out the M brand to sell cars, but they are literally cannibalizing every aesthetic feature that separated out an M car from the rest. Makes no sense to me.

BMW 1 Series Spied With Quad Exhaust Tips, Could Be M140i

Agreed, it sucks but we're probably only one more gen where this even matters before things go electric. M lite cars are getting better and moving up towards true M models as opposed to M models coming down, but either way, I agree that it's completely watered down at this point. I've accepted that it is what it is and plan to just enjoy the cars for what they are, not how less differentiated they are. I'll still enjoy my older M cars for a more pure M experience

[Tag]

From the Owner's Manual of the M2 (not M2c) which by the way didn't have M mirrors and neither the OG or Comp had a power dome.
Notice everything they point out as being M design icons are on M-lite and even base model cars now.

[JustinHEMI]

Dilution of the brand.

[Project_F87]

Originally Posted by Tag

From the Owner's Manual of the M2 (not M2c) which by the way didn't have M mirrors and neither the OG or Comp had a power dome.
Notice everything they point out as being M design icons are on M-lite and even base model cars now.

Damn. This is wild and very unfortunate

[BMWGirlFL]

Originally Posted by Tag

From the Owner's Manual of the M2

What year?

[Tag]

Originally Posted by BMWGirlFL

What year?

It's for the OG M2, 2016. I may be wrong about it being in the manual, it's in one of the docs though.

Edit: Follow this link, under 'Main BMW M2 Information:' look for 'BMW M2 "M Design Icons" promo materials 2015 (English):'

[BMWGirlFL]

Originally Posted by Tag

It's for the OG M2, 2016. I may be wrong about it being in the manual, it's in one of the docs though.

Edit: Follow this link, under 'Main BMW M2 Information:' look for 'BMW M2 "M Design Icons" promo materials 2015 (English):'

Thx!

[solstice]

I see no issues at all with the M performance BMW cars or M sport options on non M BMW cars having some M badging. It doesn’t bother me one bit unless they dilute the actual M cars as in the M2,3,4,5 which hasn’t happened. The entry and lowliest M car the M2 is still a proper M car and so is the M3, M4 and M5. You don’t get a marketing gutless poser car and have to reach for a C, CS or CRT/GTS/CSL to get the real thing. The base car is still mighty.

Where there are some dilution is in the BMW branded cars as a whole. Where there used to be the 3,5 and 7 for a long while and everyone one of them, all models were proper drivers cars you now need pick carefully and to be on the safe side go for an M car to be sure.

So the more valid question is what do they want a BMW to always be? Cause it sure isn’t an UDM anymore.

[Turkish Pickle]

"oh no, theyre putting 4 exhaust tips on another car, now people won't know i paid extra"

[Tag]

Originally Posted by Turkish Pickle

"oh no, theyre putting 4 exhaust tips on another car, now people won't know i paid extra"

Don't sell yourself short, you forgot the M badges, Powerdome, M side mirrors, M calipers, M steering wheel and M seat belts in addition to the quad exhaust.

[EXE46]

No big deal , doesn't take away anything from the real M cars. BMW is doing what the others have been doing all along. Mercedes had quad exhausts on the C43, had zero impact on the C63. The real M cars are still distinctive aesthetically and most importantly in the driving dynamics which should be the only aspect of importance. No sensible enthusiast will mistake my M340i for a G80.

[Game]

Sorry, I only want quads on an M car.

[H2O_Doc]

Pretense, marketing, and the psychology of conspicuous consumption. This is all some fascination behavioral shit here.

We're just dung fling monkeys with lines of credit.

[T_U_D]

M has become extremely diluted, more so recently than ever. Many of us have been saying M = Marketing for 15+ years even those of us that have been internal with the marque via BMW Centers.

[JustChris]

Quad tips is a new one for me. I'd be surprised if it wasn't a 'full' M

[BMWGirlFL]

Originally Posted by JustChris

Quad tips is a new one for me. I'd be surprised if it wasn't a 'full' M

“All the M Performance models will now have four exhaust pipes, Dukec told us. “You will also see this on the [new] X1 and all the upcoming [M Performance] cars. But not round [pipes] because it’s not the high-performance [model]. It will be a little different, more styled, and for M [cars] we will have different ones.”

https://www.bmwblog.com/2022/04/21/m...et-quad-pipes/

Dukec also explains new badging for all models in video beginning around 14:57.

[solstice]

Originally Posted by BMWGirlFL

https://www.bmwblog.com/2022/04/21/m...et-quad-pipes/

Dukec also explains new badging for all models in video beginning around 14:57.

I like it, square quad pipes for M performance cars, why not? And btw that new M760e, wow. Can’t wait to be chauffeured around in that next time I’m in Europe. It has some serious presence in a Rolls kind of way.

[Tag]

Originally Posted by BMWGirlFL

https://www.bmwblog.com/2022/04/21/m...et-quad-pipes/

Dukec also explains new badging for all models in video beginning around 14:57.

Interesting, in a way he just alluded that all M cars will retain the 'round' exhaust tips. Not a fan of all the angled exhaust tips that have been coming to market lately, so that's good to hear.

[atl_1M]

Originally Posted by solstice

I like it, square quad pipes for M performance cars, why not? And btw that new M760e, wow. Can’t wait to be chauffeured around in that next time I’m in Europe. It has some serious presence in a Rolls kind of way.

The M140 pictured in the OP's post has quad round pipes, and we've seen the new X1 also sporting quad round pipes have well. Both are M performance models. So it doesnt seem that square vs round quad pipes will be a differentiator between M and M-lite models either.

[T_U_D]

The LCI of the X7 and X5 M60i are receiving quad exhaust.