BMW Launches X5 M and X6 M Countdown Microsite

i'm loving BMW's business plan. it means that more people will buy Audis and Mercs and my retinas won't have to be scarred by the monstrosities they call cars

AMG and quattro DO make performance SUVs, but they don't go against the fundamental principles of the brand. for starters, M cars have never been automatics, but SUVs don't sell as manuals so it's going to have to be a 2 pedal transmission. the DCT won't be able to harness the torque that these cars will have to put out of they're to be even REMOTELY fast enough, and the SMG is useless and everyone knows it so they'll probably revert to a torque converter auto. in another brand that's not an issue. for an M car, it is.

M engines have also always been high-revving naturally aspirated jobbies. but let's be honest, a high strung, low torque engine isn't going to cut it in a vehicle weighing 2.5 tonnes, is it? so that'll probably go out the window (not to mention that trad auto boxes can't usually handle high revs.)

and yes, sales of M cars may be up in 2008, but that's because they were still riding the crest of the first half of the year. this year i doubt the figures will be the same.

the thing is, i don't like companies selling their brands short like that. i hated it when Porsche released the Cayenne for example. ok fine, it doubled Porsche's annual sales and as a result the 911 is a better car, but that tells me that Porsche is just a car manufacturer, not the maker of truly exotic automobiles that one should aspire to. it makes them ordinary, and in the car market that's probably one of the worst things you can do.

Personally, I think as long as BMW don't price these 2 cars at an outrages price, they will sell well. I would say 20-25% more than a well optioned X5 4.8i is acceptable. Just like the price of a well optioned 335 and a M3.

Another info: the new engine´s rev limit is at 7.500 rpm.