Tightening global emissions standards have led automakers toward electrification to boost their fleets’ fuel economy, which has caused the demise of larger-displacement engines and some performance models.
Like every other automaker, BMW is facing significant challenges with the changes, but an executive recently said the company would not abandon its six- and eight-cylinder engines, noting that they would not take a significant hit to performance in the process.
BMW M CEO Fran van Meel spoke with Autocar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, saying the automaker’s upcoming engines would comply with Euro 7 emissions standards. “Normally, if you are in high-performance situations, you cool using the fuel. With EU7, that’s impossible, so you need to find different ways of avoiding temperature build-up. The combustion process has to be improved in regards to heat build-up and also the cooling, and those are the challenges. Of course, you can reduce performance to avoid this temperature increase, but you don’t want to – that’s where we started.”
Van Meel also said BMW would not look to smaller engines, including three- and four-cylinder mills, for M cars. “The six-cylinder inline engine is our legacy, and the V8 has got a long history in racing, so we intend to keep going.” The new M5 and XM SUV use a plug-in hybrid V8 setup, while many others rely on the automaker’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine.
[Images: BMW]
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