BMW says M and i do not go together
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/coupes/" rel="tag">Coupe</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hybrids/" rel="tag">Hybrid</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hatchbacks/" rel="tag">Hatchback</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/" rel="tag">BMW</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/electric/" rel="tag">Electric</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2015-bmw-i8-frankfurt-2013/#photo-995891"><img alt="BMW executives claim that M division is to remain separate from i division, and there will be no M i8." data-mep="7728" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/1266x849+0+0/resize/628x417!/format/jpg/quality/85/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/adam/dc050d5a82cee42495ba8a19d 16b7429/l%20(5).jpg" /></a><br />
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There's word from top <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/">BMW</a> executives that the automaker won't be mixing its i division with its M division, <a href="http://www.caradvice.com.au/251361/bmw-m-division-kept-away-from-i-sub-brand/"><em>Car Advice</em> reports</a><i>.</i> M division, which takes regular BMWs and makes them into formidable performance cars, and i division, which makes unique BMWs focused on fuel efficiency and sustainability, just don't go together.<br />
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While the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/i8/">i8</a> hybrid sports car looks and performs like a perfect candidate for M engineers to tinker with, BMW Group head of technology communications Cypselus von Frankenberg told <i>Car Advice</i> that nobody from the M division had a hand in developing the i8, and it will stay that way.<br />
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"I don't think it's necessary," Frankenberg says. "You look at the car [i8], it's an i version. You look at the LifeDrive architecture of the car, it wouldn't make sense to bring M to that." He did say that i and M may end up competing against each other in the future, but that hinges on how well the i division performs at dealerships. "It depends on the volume [of cars sold] of course," he says, adding that it's unknown when such a scenario would take place.<br />
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Head of product development at BMW M, Carsten Pries, is on the same page as Frankenberg. "To me, the brands BMW M and BMW i have different identities, and different focuses within their identities," Pries says. "I don't expect there's any type of competition, even if i8 is a sports car, it's a different kind of sports car." He also implies that the i8 is too slow for an M super sports car, and if the performance division made its own, the resultant vehicle would be much faster from 0-62 miles per hour than the i8's claimed 4.4 seconds.<br />
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This development only leaves us with more questions about i division's future, the chief of which is What does BMW have in store to increase the performance of it i cars? Stay tuned to find out as the story develops.<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/15/bmw-m-and-i-not-mix/">BMW says M and i do not go together</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Sun, 15 Sep 2013 13:09:00 EST. Please see our <a href="/rss-term-of-use/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/15/bmw-m-and-i-not-mix/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20720447/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/15/bmw-m-and-i-not-mix/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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