Press Release
Positioning of the new BMW M6
The average BMW M6 customer in Europe is male, over 45 years old, married, and lives in a two-person household. He has a high level of education and has an above-average income in his profession – usually as a self-supporting businessman or a very successful executive. The successful manager who has already withdrawn from professional life is also a typical purchaser of such a car, as BMW knows from experience.
Normally the owner of a BMW M6 has other cars in his household and uses various vehicles for various purposes. The typical M6 customer is more lifestyle-oriented and extroverted than others, attaching very great significance to the design and performance of his car. But he also drives such an exclusive car to underline his social status.
Emotional factors are more important in choosing a BMW of this calibre than, say, practical, let alone rational, motives. Particularly the passionate aficionado of motoring is thrilled by a car of this kind, enjoying technical features such as SMG transmission, Formula 1 technology and BMW MDrive.
The three biggest markets for the BMW M6 are the USA, Germany and Great Britain.
Particularly in the USA, the potential M6 customer will focus on sheer driving pleasure in typical BMW style as well as the special feeling of driving a truly outstanding European sports car.
The M6 customer in the USA is slightly older on average than the European buyer of an M6, but still much younger than the average BMW purchaser in general. Some purchasers – albeit not many – of the M6 in the USA are indeed women. And here again, customers in this category normally have approximately three cars at home in their garage.
In the USA the BMW M6 also appeals to customers coming from the so-called New Money class. These are people who, having worked hard and successfully for many years, have gained a high level of material prosperity, thus making their “American Dream” come true.
Heritage of the BMW M6
Its Predecessors are already Legends:
The BMW M635CSi and the BMW M1
From the start, BMW M has been a synonym of the exclusive high-performance sports car. Now the new BMW M6 is continuing this tradition, setting a new standard in this segment with its combination of sporting qualities and elegant style.
Although the M6 does not really have any direct predecessors, former, similar models in the history of BMW already rank as legends in their own right. Back in 1978, for example, the BMW M1 – now an expensive collector’s item – was the first car to show how technology from motorsport can be conveyed to the road.
Six years later it was followed by the BMW M635CSi, the first M car based on a BMW production model – and, at the same time, the car acknowledged as the founder of today’s M family quickly growing over the years through the introduction of the BMW M5 (also in 1984) and the BMW M3 (1986).
An uncompromising, mid-engined two-seater sports car, the BMW M1 certainly had its DNA in motorsport. Conceived for racing and, indeed, highly successful on the track, the M1 came right at the beginning of a long story of BMW M cars.
The BMW M1 was powered by a 3.5-litre straight-six developing 277 bhp or 204 kW and featuring a four-valve cylinder head taken straight from BMW’s wide experience in motorsport. This fascinating car accelerated to 100 km/h in just 5.6 seconds and had a top speed of 262 km/h or 161 mph.
Starting in 1979, the BMW M1 marked the start of the ProCar Series, a special series of races accompanying European Formula 1 events. Since this required homologation of the M1 for motorsport, there was also a road-going version, total production of the M1 amounting to 456 units.
The BMW M635CSi, the most powerful version of the 6 Series at the time built from 1984 – 1989, was not quite as fast, but definitely just as fascinating. So it is no surprise that many dedicated connoisseurs were simply thrilled by the idea of combining the legendary power unit of the M1 with the body of BMW’s luxurious, 2+2-seater coupé.
Offering even more power than before, the engine of the M635CSi developed maximum output of 286 bhp (210 kW) and accelerated the car to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds, with top speed of 255 km/h or 158 mph. Fitted with a catalytic converter and with a corresponding reduction in power to 260 bhp/191 kW, this BMW was also sold in the USA as the M6.
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