We’ve been discussing the prospects of an M2 xDrive for over a year. In August 2023, BMWBLOG wrote about how the G87 could get the all-wheel-drive treatment as early as 2026. A new report states it’s indeed happening, and even a start of production date is mentioned. A member of the Bimmer Post forums with deep ties to BMW says the all-paw M2 will hit the assembly line in less than two years.
The M2 xDrive is apparently scheduled to enter production in August 2026 and stay until the very end of the sports car’s life cycle. The second-generation performance coupe is rumored to bow out in July 2029. As you can imagine, the M2 with AWD is reportedly going to be offered exclusively with an automatic transmission. Other details are not mentioned, but we can estimate the weight penalty.
Gone from Europe with the 2 Series Coupe facelift, the rear-wheel-drive M240i is 123 pounds (56 kilograms) lighter than its xDrive counterpart. Assuming the M2 would put on as much weight and factoring in the automatic transmission, the xDrive version would tip the scales at over 3,900 pounds (nearly 1,800 kilograms).
When the M2 xDrive eventually arrives, don’t be too surprised if BMW kills the rear-wheel-drive version. We have it on good authority the RWD model could be dropped from the lineup. If that happens, you can say goodbye to the manual gearbox. With the next-gen M3 likely to be auto-only, the end is nigh for the three-pedal M car.
Even if the M2’s stick shift is being phased out in the regular model, BMW could still launch special editions with a clutch pedal. We reckon those cars would be instantly collectible. Why? Because the manual is unlikely to return after the current generation of M cars runs its course. Before getting xDrive, the smallest M will earn a CS version in 2025 with more power and less weight. However, it won’t have a manual transmission.
Source: Bimmer Post
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
Source: BMW BLOG
