To mark the 50th anniversary of BMW M, the Munich brand is reportedly developing a fully electric iM2 capable of delivering 1000 kW of peak power - the equivalent of 1,360 hp.
That is the claim from the UK’s CAR Magazine, which adds that the programme is said to be known internally as “Katharina” and that the car would be based on the most hard-core version of the M2, the BMW M2 CS.
BMW iM2 “Katharina”: prototype sightings and what they suggest
Around a month ago, a set of spy photos - shown with this article - surfaced of a BMW M2 prototype with no exhaust outlets, captured during the usual winter testing in Sweden. At the time, the idea that it could be an upcoming electric M2 was raised; with these newer CAR Magazine rumours, that possibility now appears more plausible.
To provide all that “firepower”, BMW is allegedly considering fitting four electric motors to the iM2, one per wheel, pushing torque-vectoring potential to a new level.
If the power figure is confirmed, and according to BMW insiders quoted by the British publication, the 0–100 km/h sprint would take between 2.0 seconds and 2.5 seconds.
These are striking figures which, CAR Magazine says, have already enabled the iM2 - still referred to as Project Katharina - to lap the Nürburgring-Nordschleife’s more than 20 kilometres in under seven minutes.
Lightweight hardware and packaging for the BMW iM2
CAR Magazine notes the project has not yet been approved for production, but provides further details, citing a BMW insider involved in developing the powertrain. The iM2 would do without rear seats and would use multiple carbon-fibre components, including the roof. It would also wear bespoke wheels made from a very lightweight alloy, and the windows would be thinner than usual to “save” every possible kilogram.
BMW has already responded to the rumours
Invited by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, BMW has already addressed the information about the BMW iM2, dismissing it as “pure speculation”.
The German publication also reports that, internally at BMW, the view is that if an electric sports car is in the pipeline, it certainly will not have 1000 kW of power - and even less so for a 2022 arrival.
What is clear for now is that BMW M will introduce electrified models, and in 2019 it even previewed a prototype of what a future plug-in hybrid sports car could look like: the BMW Vision M Concept with 600 hp.
What comes next?
Few doubt that electrification is heading to BMW M, but it may not take the form of an iM2 with more than 1,300 hp. Right now, the most likely “bet” is an M version of the BMW i4 - dubbed iM4 - with output in the region of 600 hp.
In 2022, we will also see the next generation of the BMW M2, built on the CLAR platform, which also supports fully electric powertrains and all-wheel-drive configurations. According to current rumours, this upcoming M2 should stick to the current formula: an inline six-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive and… a manual gearbox (an automatic will also be available, of course).
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