BMW M5, M6 to go AWD

Following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG, a top BMW executive has revealed that the company’s line of high-performance M cars will soon adopt all-wheel drive.Although BMW has used all-wheel drive for its M-badged SUVs, the high-performance division has stuck with rear-wheel drive for its car models. However, Frank van Meel, head of the M division, recently revealed that AWD could soon make an appearance on BMW’s M-tuned passenger cars.

Mercedes-Benz recently went down the all-wheel drive route with its high-performance line of AMG cars. Prior to that, AMG — like BMW’s M — relied on rear-wheel drive for its passenger cars.

Van Meet indicated that the next-generation M5 and M6 would likely be the first M models to get AWD. However, those all-wheel drive systems will be tuned with rear-wheel drive bias in order to minimize unwanted understeer.

“The philosophy will remain rear-wheel drive, even if there is all-wheel drive,” Van Meel told Autocar. “As we increase power and torque, then the M5 and M6 will have large outputs, so we’ll look at those solutions [all-wheel drive] with these cars in the future.”

Although it sounds as if AWD is a go, Van Meel squashed the idea of a four-cylinder-powered BMW M model any time soon. “They are not part of the short term for M,” he said.