AUTONEWS

BMW is not hiding its sympathy for the revival of the iconic M1

Although the legendary BMW M1 was only around for a few short years, its impact was enormous. It's been almost half a century since the mid-engined, wedge-shaped supercar entered production, but it seems that it's a model that today's BMW executives are still thinking about. Namely, the head of BMW M has stated that he would like to build a new M1.

"I'm in love with the original M1, but I would like to build a new one," Frank van Meel, head of BMW M, told BMWBlog. Oliver Heilmer, head of design at M, also expressed similar views for the same publication.

Although BMW has never produced a direct successor to the M1, the company has considered it on several occasions. The closest they came to realizing it was with the Vision M Next concept from 2019. According to author and BMW historian Steve Saxty, it was a hybrid supercar with a four-cylinder engine and 600 horsepower that was “95 percent complete.”

This is far from the first time BMW has flirted with the idea of a new halo supercar. In 2008, the company unveiled the M1 Homage concept to celebrate the original model's 30th anniversary. Although that vehicle never entered production, elements of its design later influenced the BMW i8.

BMW also revealed the Vision M Next concept in 2019, showcasing a dramatic plug-in hybrid sports car that many believed previewed a future flagship. Reports later suggested development was halted as the company reassessed priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic and rising development costs.

Over the years, industry rumors have also linked BMW to several high-performance electric supercar projects, though none have reached production.

The manufacturer had planned to launch the car around 2022. Instead, BMW redirected resources to the XM crossover, which was then promoted as the spiritual successor to the M1.

However, the XM did not achieve the success BMW had hoped for. The company discontinued the base version in 2026 and lowered the price of the XM Black Label model.

Despite the wishes of its bosses, such a car is unlikely to arrive anytime soon. Developing a mid-engine supercar would require a huge investment at a time when the future of the automotive industry is very uncertain. Investing that much money in a model with a small production run does not make business sense at the moment.

The first-generation M1 featured a naturally aspirated inline-six engine mounted behind the driver and became BMW's only production mid-engined supercar. Today, evolving emissions regulations, electrification, and advances in performance technology would likely shape any future successor.

BMW's Neue Klasse architecture has already demonstrated enormous performance potential, and the company's upcoming generation of high-performance electric models could provide the technical foundation for an entirely new flagship.

Whether that flagship ultimately relies on hybrid power, full electrification, or an advanced combustion engine remains unknown.