6:41 pm, May 19, 2011
BMW has not ruled out a CSL version of its new 1 Series M Coupe, one of the maker’s product managers has said.
The German firm has just launched the 1M but with two thirds of the 450 UK allocation already sold, it’s likely buyers will want more and a CSL version could be the answer.
The phenomenal success of the 1M has taken BMW somewhat by surprise. The production run was planned while the global recession was still casting a shadow of doubt over the car industry so bosses decided to be cautious with the allocation.
But dealers sold 300 1M models prior to its official launch at the weekend and it looks likely the entire batch could find homes in a matter of weeks. That success has led the maker to look at other avenues, such as CSL, convertible and hatchback versions.
‘There is scope for a CSL version,’ BMW product manager James Morrison told us. ‘This car has certainly generated a buzz. When we planned for this car we were cautious, but now there’s some hype surrounding the 1M so there’s clearly going to be some people looking at what we can do next.
‘M is the pinnacle of engineering so if there’s a CSL proposition or something really different that we could consider then we would. If there’s something special and unique we can do with it then absolutely we would.
‘However, losing weight from cars is really expensive and the 1M fits very well at the moment at £40k. Whether it’d work as well at £60k just because it’s a bit quicker and lighter then I don’t know.’
(More below video)
WHY NOT M1?
Morrison also revealed that the new car wasn’t given the M1 name because it wasn’t seen as the right fit for a car of this type and hinted that it had been reserved for something special in the future.
‘The M1 was a very unique car,’ he explained. ‘It was one of our first M cars and it was what we call a supercar class vehicle. Naturally this car would have been called M1, based on M3 and M5, but it was felt it wasn’t the right name for this type of car.
‘If the M1 name had been taken up by this then it really messes up our naming convention. You never know the M1 could be revived – there’s always hope that there could be another supercar class BMW.’
