The new BMW M2 reveals its first secrets: it will be a mini BMW M4 with manual transmission

In the twilight of the sports car as we know it, the arrival of a genuine  BMW M  is something very special. Still technically one of the youngest M cars in BMW's lineup and the smallest, the BMW M2 has already achieved cult status, much like its predecessor, the BMW  1M  .

The new generation of the BMW M2 will be officially presented in October this year. And taking advantage of the fact that the brand is fine-tuning its settings (at this stage, the car is practically ready) on the Austrian circuit of Salzburgring, the brand has revealed some of its technical data.

 

The new generation has a deeply traditional positioning for a sporty BMW. It's an important model in terms of image and to some extent volume, as it will be the brand's most affordable BMW M. The designers, engineers and technicians who made it know this better than anyone.

Unlike the previous generation M2 type F87, which was based on the then 2 Series Coupé, the new M2 uses BMW's Cluster Architecture platform, common to all major Munich models, including the  BMW 8 Series .  and the massive  BMW X7 . And that, at the technical level, is not anecdotal. It's literally a matter of weight.

BMW has yet to reveal the weight of the car, but they acknowledge that they had to deal with this factor. In any case, it should be less than the current BMW M4, which weighs just over 1,700 kg. But at the same time, being able to have a common platform with the BMW M3 and M4 has certain advantages. Concretely, to be able to have all the mechanical components of the M4, for example.

The new M2 hides a mini M4

Thus, most of the mechanical components of this new M2, such as the axles, the chassis reinforcement arms, the gearboxes (6-speed manual and 8-speed automatic), the active locking rear differential, the brakes and, of course, the supercharged Type S58 inline six-cylinder engine comes from the M3 and M4 duo.

Other known data from the new M2, which BMW released via  BMW M Dynamics Director Sven Esch at the Salzburgring circuit, sheds some more light on what the new M2 will look like. The brand assures that it has a level of performance similar to the  BMW M2 CS , the exclusive special edition that marked the commercial end of the previous M2.

Concretely, the engine will not have the same power as in the M4 but will be limited to 450 hp, as in the M2 CS. The address, also inherited from the M3 and M4, of the rear differential and the stability control benefits from a calibration specific to the M2, since its wheelbase is 110 mm shorter than that of an M4.

On the front axle, the springs are firmer than on the M4, to improve cornering, while the rear axle springs have been softened, to offer more agility in curves and to have a rear axle that gives more play .

Finally, BMW fitted the new  M3 Touring 's adaptive dampers , to provide the lateral support that was lost with the softer rear axle springs.

The new BMW M2, like the rest of the BMW 2 Series Coupé range (a Mexican-designed model, by the way) will be manufactured in Mexico, at the San Luis Potosí plant. The M2 will be unveiled next October, while its marketing will only begin in April 2023.