BMW X4 has been out for a very short time and is basically a baby X6, riding on the same platform as the X3. Essentially it is X3, just with a different coupe-like roofline at the rear.
In an interview with Australia’s Drive, BMW M President Dr Friedrich Nitschke said the company is currently focused on developing the upcoming X5 M and X6 M so their engineering resources are limited at the moment, so X4 M currently is not in development.
But he went on and mentioned the X4 is the sportiest version of the X3 and in the future maybe we will bring an M version of the X4, but we won’t be doing it in this model cycle. So most likely if approved, the X4 M would arrive as part of the current generation models facelift sometimes in 2017.
BMW M was known for a long time for the M3 and M5 sedans, and then with the previous generation X5 and X6, the M versions were introduced, which did upset many M fans, but offered a strong alternative to the likes from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.
The M badge was also given to the now discontinued 1 Series M Coupe, which already has a successor in the works dubbed M2 with a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six producing around 380 hp. That’s also likely the engine that will make it into the X4 M, instead of a TwinPower Turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine with 431 hp in the new M3/M4.
Australia’s Drive link: http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/bmw-x4-m-delayed-20140512-384de.html
