Will next-generation BMW M3/M4 have four-cylinders?

Motoring Australia interviewed Carston Pries, BMW M Division Head of Product Management, where he allegedly gave a hint that there will be a future generation M3/M4 being powered by a four-cylinder engine.

“We do not start our design process with a power output in mind. We have a set of characteristics that a new model must meet. For sure, you could see a future [M3] powered by a four-cylinder engine,” Pries said. He also mentioned that the downsizing trend is likely to continue in future generations so a smaller engine could work then.

So does this mean that the next generation BMW M3/M4 return to the model’s four cylinder roots? “If we have a car with less mass, it is foreseeable that the [performance] targets we set could be reached with a four [cylinder],” Pries stated. This could be true but Pries could also just be pointing out that a lighter M3/M4 coupled with a highly tuned-up four banger could satisfy the requirements and meet the expectations of M customers.