The BMW M2 CS Racing is available from 95,000.00 Euros (plus value-added tax) and meets all the prerequisites for a successful entry-level model. The new customer racing car is powered by an S55 six-cylinder in-line engine with BMW M TwinPower Turbo Technology, which with a capacity of 2,979 cc in the racing version achieves between 280 hp (205 kW) and 365 hp (268 kW), depending on the Balance of Performance or Permit B classification. The maximum torque of 550 Nm is transmitted by a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, which has been applied using specialist motorsport software.

Another highlight of the BMW M2 CS Racing is the engine management. As for the BMW M4 GT4, this will be via power sticks in the future, which enable various performance levels to be programmed and retrieved depending on the stipulated Balance of Performance.

Motorsport-specific driving aids such as ABS and DSC guarantee that newcomers will be able to handle the car safely. A mechanical limited slip differential with pre-load and separate cooling also comes as standard, as do specially manufactured drive shafts. Like its production counterpart, the roof is also made of carbon.

Club racing version with increased performance

Delivery of the first BMW M2 CS Racing is planned for mid 2020. As with the predecessor models, the BMW M235i Racing and the BMW M240i Racing, several platforms around the world will be available to the new car apart from its main stomping grounds, the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring and the TC America. A Permit B version is planned for racing at the Nordschleife (GER) as part of the VLN.

BMW Motorsport is also already working on an upgrade package to increase performance to 450 hp. Further details and the start of delivery of these models will be announced at a later point in time.

"With this wide range of performance variants, and distribution through approved BMW M Motorsport dealers for the first time, we will be addressing an even wider target group in the future and tapping into a booming sector. I'm delighted that we are also able to break into this market with the BMW M2 CS Racing and expand our customer racing offering. Customer racing at BMW has never been as diverse as it will be as of next season," said Marquardt.

Endurance tests at the Nordschleife already passed

The race car BMW M2 CS Racing has an intensive period of testing behind it. After initial outings at Miramas (FRA) and Portimão (POR) came the first appearance in race conditions at the fifth round of the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring. At the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, the most demanding racetrack in the world, BMW Motorsport Junior Beitske Visser (NED) and Jörg Weidinger (GER), test and development engineer at BMW M GmbH and a very successful participant in the BMW Sports Trophy over many years himself, completed the first endurance test and provided the engineers with valuable insights under race conditions. Further outings at the 'Green Hell' came in the seventh and ninth round of the VLN.

BMW's initial lineup for the new 2 Series Coupe includes the rear-wheel-drive 220i and 220d followed by the spicy M240i xDrive. The 230i will follow next summer, with all three having one thing in common – the lack of a manual transmission. Our pals at BMWBLOG have learned the Bavarians are planning to diversify the range by introducing a RWD version of the M240i, but even that one will do away with the stick shift.

The tail-happy M240i is scheduled to arrive either towards the end of the year or early 2022 exclusively with the eight-speed Steptronic transmission. As it's the case with the xDrive version, the RWD version is likely getting the Steptronic Sport version of the gearbox with paddles on the steering wheel and launch control.

It looks as though BMW wants people to step up to the full-fat M2 to get a manual as plenty of rumors have suggested the range topper will have a three-pedal setup. In addition, the flagship 2 Series is believed to come exclusively in RWD form, unlike big-brother M4 now available with xDrive for the first time.

Meanwhile, we should point out the M Performance model is more powerful in the United States than in Europe, likely because the version sold on the Old Continent has to comply with stricter emissions regulations. The US-spec M240i xDrive offers 382 horsepower (285 kilowatts) and 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters) whereas its Euro cousin has to make do with 369 hp (275 kW) and the same amount of torque.

Interestingly, power delivery also varies between the two. The North American variant of the M240i offers the full amount of hp from 5,800 rpm while the Euro unlocks all the horses a bit earlier, at 5,500 rpm. It's the other way around when it comes to torque since the US-spec model delivers the entire amount of torque from 1,800 rpm compared to the Euro-spec coupe from 1,900 rpm.

The M2 is believed to have as much as 450 hp and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) and arrive at some point in 2023.

This year, BMW is blowing the 50th candle on the M division's anniversary cake. 2022 will be a busy year for Bavaria's go-faster division considering it will unveil the production-ready XM, M3 Touring, and the M4 CSL. Not only that, but the new kid on the M block is also earmarked for a release in the following 12 months. We're obviously talking about the M2, known among BMW aficionados by its "G87" codename.

We've already seen our fair share of images depicting the Bavarian sports coupe, but this is the best set thus far. Our spies had a close encounter with the new M2 and were able to immortalize the hot prototype carrying thinner camouflage. Thankfully, the exposed front grille confirms BMW won't be going overboard with the size of the kidneys. Flanked by two small-ish air intakes, the center-mounted radar sensor below the license plate further shows the grille won't be extending all the way down as it does on big-brother M4.
Positioned above the M240i, the smallest fully fledged M car was not shy to show off its big and square air intakes on the front bumper as well as the quad exhausts at the back. The subtle trunk lid spoiler doesn't seem to be any bigger than the one you get on the M Performance model, but rest assured BMW will offer a series of M Performance Parts to lend the car a more aggressive appearance.

The test vehicle was riding on 19-inch wheels measuring 275/35 R19 at the front axle where the blue brake calipers are more visible. It seemed to have slightly beefier wheel arches to signal wider tracks and also appeared to be sitting closer to the road compared to the M240i. That tells us it had a stiffer suspension setup to sharpen up handling.

While the M4 can be had with rear- or all-wheel drive, the latest intel suggests BMW will sell the upcoming M2 strictly with a tail-happy layout. Both manual and automatic transmissions are planned, along with a base output of around 400 horsepower and a potent Competition model with roughly 430 hp or even more. Motivation will be provided by the S58 engine inside the M4, but obviously dialed down to avoid stepping on the elder brother's toes.

Rumored to be unveiled this summer, the M2 will likely be followed by hotter derivatives like a CS or even a CSL.

The 2023 BMW M2 coupe has to be one of the most highly-anticipated cars that will be unveiled in the coming months.

We've seen it being hooned around the Green Hell and we know it'll come standard with an S58 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six. Recent spy shots show it will get the same bucket seats as the M3/M4 and the rumor mill suggest it will have a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive.

A new rumor suggests America will be the only country to get the M2 with a manual gearbox.

The information comes courtesy of "ynguldyn," a regular poster on the BimmerPost forum. Ynguldyn is a trusted source of inside information on the platform and has a solid track record of predicting BMW's future plans.

If this turns out to be accurate, we wouldn't be surprised. The F10 M5 manual was also a USA-only model, made possible thanks to consumer demand. And let's not forget that American enthusiasm for the manual gearbox forced BMW to offer the current M2 with a manual gearbox.

We're also one of a few countries lucky enough to have a manual gearbox option for the M3 and M4. Unfortunately, the M3/M4 manual gearbox isn't the M department's best effort, so most buyers tend to go the eight-speed automatic route anyway.

You also can't have a manual with the Competition Package, which means it has a lower output and less impressive performance figures than the Competition models.

BMW's M bosses are on record as stating that they'll keep on developing the manual as long as there is demand.

The big question is whether the new M2's shift action will be more satisfying than the alarmingly average gearbox in the M3/M4. It's not bad but doesn't provide the positive, precise action we've come to expect from BMW M products.

Let's hope they get it right with the M2, widely regarded as the best modern M product thanks to its compact dimensions and loyalty to all the things that made the M department a force to be reckoned with.

We don't have too long to wait for the new M2, though, so all will be revealed soon. BMW recently posted pictures of prototypes in Mexico which indicates the teaser campaign has begun and the reveal is imminent. The M2 will be built in Mexico.

The 3 Series—BMW’s longstanding flagship enthusiast compact—was replaced in 2014 by a smaller, cheaper, more agile vehicle in the form of the 2 Series. Overshadowing the earlier 1 Series in all the right ways (looks and performance, to name a few), the 2 got a plentiful M model in 2015 in the form of the M2 and the pecking order quickly changed. Whether you accepted it or not, the M3 wasn't the benchmark anymore, the lighter and smaller M2 was. And now the second generation of the new kid has arrived. Well, in prototype form, at least.

Recently, I was privileged enough to drive a prototype version of the upcoming M2 on track. It had straight-six power and a manual transmission sending drive to the rear; everything somebody could want in a fast, driver-oriented BMW. But it also felt like it was staring straight off a cliff. It is the last of its kind—a purely internal combustion-powered M car—though it didn't quite feel like it. Through the course of driving these development vehicles, I was definitely pleased, but honestly, I was also left a little wanting.

If you’re BMW and you’re poised right at the edge of launching an M-branded hybrid SUV, you’d want what could possibly be the last generation of your compact purist driver’s car to be a celebration of that very idea, right? You’d want it to be something special, or at least distinguishable from the car it replaces. That was not the case here.

As these vehicles were prototypes, no exact specs were provided. I was simply told that, in terms of power, it was very close to the outgoing M2 CS, so around the 450-horsepower mark. I was also told this new M2 will share a lot with the M3/M4. Pretty much everything besides the outer skin, in fact. My time behind the wheel consisted of something like half a dozen laps in slightly rainy conditions around the Salzburgring, a short racetrack tucked into the Austrian Alps, with a few long, bent straights connected by fun twisty sectors. These are my impression after a total driving time of maybe half an hour between both an automatic and a stick-shift M2 prototype dressed up in camouflage.

That camo wasn't hiding much. All the typical BMW M hallmarks of flared fenders and more aggressive fascias were on display in plain view. What underpinned this bolder body was also not a very big secret, as it turns out.

The front and rear suspension are from the M3/M4. The rear dampers are not tuned specifically for the car, but taken from the M3 Touring. The drivetrain, as is typical with the 2 Series, is also taken from the vehicle's larger siblings. Add all of this up, and the new M2 is not much more than a short wheelbase M4. Is that bad? Dynamically, and especially in terms of price, no. But it does mean that what is the brand's flagship sporty compact is basically made from components from an admittedly very good parts bin. It's not a terrible thing, but the sense that this car deserved more than that nagged at me while I was driving. It is still nagging me, actually.

Steering, shifting, braking, and pretty much everything is now electronically operated in the automatic M2. The sensation was nothing short of... consistent. The communication I got from the car on the damp track almost never seemed to change, which introduced me to a sort of spirited driving that I wasn't used to. I'm more familiar with getting a sense of a car's limits by probing around with slight changes and feeling out the reply—maybe a more aggressive corner exit here or a slightly hotter entry there. But in the automatic M2, it always felt like I was subject to a safety net that limited how much I could actually play around.

Pushing the limit meant a safe trip back to grip thanks to the endless traction/stability gizmos, but feeling out that actual limit felt difficult. Here, trying to nip an apex or find some grip was a matter of turning the wheel, applying the throttle, and seeing what happened. I am, after all, nothing short of a very average driver, and it was still willing to bail me out when I went a little too deep. It was very forgiving. But there was a lack of nuance. Everything was so precise, so perfect. I'm not sure if I wanted a more challenging drive, but I did want it to bite me at least once.

This feeling was definitely compounded by the automatic transmission's smarter-than-you operation. After my first lap, I gave up on trying to change with the paddles and just let it do its thing. It definitely was smarter than me, I couldn't keep track of eight gears like it could, and it seemed to want to be with its electronic friends—the steering, the brakes, the magnetic suspension. I just let it go off and have fun with its buddies. The result was admittedly impressive if also lacking some connection.

BMW's emulation of good hydraulic brakes and a nice communicative front axle has gotten so good that, in normal driving conditions, it might as well not be emulating. The brakes were a bit touchy, but linear and strong. Likewise, the steering had a nice spring and it was fast enough to make precise and confident adjustments mid-corner. I would comment specifically on the ride, but I was on a pristinely paved race track. Still, it was tight but not jarring, far from soft, but forgiving when it needed to go over something like a trackside curb.

The real difference came when I switched to a manual car. To be honest, I was intimidated. "The automatic is faster on a track!" echoed the words from every performance car review ever through my brain. "It shifts faster than any manual, just give it up, man!" was bouncing around the inside of my head. The wet conditions combined with the track's long, curved, high-speed sections didn’t help, either. A bad shift at a buck-20 could be one prototype less. These worries were, of course, completely unfounded. The stick-shift M2 wasn't a completely different car, but it was a lot more personal. There's just something about a manual transmission, you know? You could make a religion out of this. Hell, it’s already a cult.

Instead of simply entering every corner as fast as seemed appropriate, having a gear to physically lock into bought back that level of experimentation and nuance that I was missing in the automatic. A stick shift isn't just about the physical act of changing gears—it's about being able to carefully control and understand a car's powerband and how to use it smoothly without an unexpected change throwing a wrench in things. Maybe I was going slower—I get it, the automatic is faster—but I felt much more in control when I was choosing my own gears. Having optional automatic rev-matching absolutely helped, too. It's more or less heel-toe braking, but for dummies. As somebody with limited track experience, I welcomed it. It lowered the mental load and helped me focus on what was ahead of me.

It was very fun, very capable, and even a little analog,to use a dirty word. If you're gonna buy an M2 when it's released, get the stick. But even without it, though, this M2 prototype already felt—get ready for it—old-fashioned.

More specifically, it felt like the last part of BMW M's second chapter. The first chapter was about high-revving naturally aspirated engines squeezing power out of the displacements they had. The sounds, the feelings, everything was authentic and balanced and well with the world.

Once forced induction became the norm, though, the second chapter began. We've since had two generations of M3, M5, and now M2 where engine sound is piped in or synthesized, turbos are spooled at precisely dictated speeds, and the feeling that these cars are incessantly chasing that first chapter is pretty plain. This is just the way things are despite the fact that these machines are still fun and impressive. Read the writing on the wall, though. When the new M2 launches, it will be the last page of that "second chapter" M car we're gonna get—the last M car powered purely by internal combustion. Remember our big-nosed friend, the XM? That's chapter three. Batteries, motors, and inverters have wedged themselves around the table and in ways that can no longer be ignored.

That brings me to this car. What are we gonna do with you? The M2 prototype I drove had—rather unfortunately—absolutely nothing to say about it. If we’re to gauge the new M2 through the lens of a finale, there were no sacrifices made to make this thing just a little more like that special first chapter we were talking about before. Likewise, there was no new technology to push the existing envelope further and say, "Yes, this is not the same as it used to be, but we still got it." It’s just more of the same of the car it replaces, but uglier. Despite the camouflage, you can still get an idea of what it looks like and, well, it isn't particularly pretty. True, it doesn't have a big grille, but that isn't saying much. Until the new M2 launches, just look at a new M240i versus an old M2. The M240i is a solid aesthetic downgrade.

The bottom line is if you've driven the first M2 and you're wondering what this new car sounds like, you already know. If you're wondering what it feels like... you already know. It’s objectively good and rewarding but there's also nothing new here. Is this lack of progress worth celebrating? In today's automotive landscape, it might be. There certainly are not enough rear-driven, compact manual sports cars anymore. For me, though, it felt like a missed opportunity.

Let's take a step back and really consider what this thing is: the final machine to carry BMW M's pure internal combustion torch. It deserves a mountain to die on.

This is barely a hill.

We all know what a coupe is, but some very different cars ride under that broad definition. At one end of the scale is a two-seat hardtop sports car, the sort that puts performance well above practicality. At the other extreme, a coupe is a slightly lower and sleeker alternative to a sedan, one with rear seats and a usable trunk. For this test, our two challengers are drawn from different ends of the spectrum: The sporty Toyota GR Supra in entry-level 2.0-liter form faces off against the much more spacious BMW 230i coupe.

For all their obvious differences, they also have much in common. Beneath the surface, the GR Supra sits on BMW's CLAR platform that also underpins the 2-series. And the Toyota is built alongside the closely related BMW Z4 in Austria. Both the Supra and the 230i use the same BMW turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making outputs of 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque in both cars. They drive their rear wheels through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission (sadly, neither is available with a manual box). The most telling difference from a performance perspective is the weight disparity, owing to the BMW's larger dimensions. The 230i weighs 3554 pounds as tested, 373 pounds heavier than the Supra's weight.

While power figures might look modest compared with the sharp end of this segment, especially as both cars have six-cylinder siblings with nearly 400 horsepower, neither could be accused of being slow. In our testing, the BMW ripped through the 60-mph benchmark in just 5.1 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds at 101 mph. The lighter Toyota was even quicker, dispatching 60 mph in a searing 4.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds at 105 mph. (For reference, the Supra's 60-mph time is identical to the one we recorded for the 400-hp Nissan Z with its manual gearbox, and the Supra is only 0.1 second slower through the quarter.)

It was a similar story on the skidpad, where the Supra 2.0 managed to extract a tenacious 1.04 g of lateral acceleration on Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, beating the BMW's 0.92 g on Pirelli P Zero PZ4s. The 230i's result hardly counts as a disgrace but does indicate that the Toyota is built around a keener dynamic mission. Both cars stopped well, with the 230i's 152-foot stop from 70 mph being just three feet longer than the Supra's.

Yet on-road, the BMW's subtler qualities soon rose to the fore. Our test car had both the $3250 M Sport package, which brings variable-ratio steering and 19-inch wheels plus a slightly firmer sports suspension, and the $1900 Dynamic Handling package, which adds an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential. Experiencing the steering undiluted meant turning off the irritating oversensitive lane-departure warning, which seems to really dislike Michigan back roads. With this function de-energized, the 230i's rack gave sharp, linear responses, although without much in the way of on-center feel. Despite the sports suspension, the BMW's ride stayed compliant, with the active differential giving both impressive traction and the ability to push the rear axle toward breakaway without any sense of snappiness.

The 2-series' range of dynamic modes also gives the ability to significantly alter the way it feels. While Eco Pro is unlikely to be regularly selected by any driver not staring at a low-fuel warning light, the differences between Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus are immediately noticeable in terms of throttle response, cabin noise, and transmission shift mapping. This last detail felt particularly well resolved, with Comfort still downshifting quickly and cleanly for passing urge, but with Sport and even Sport Plus not holding onto low ratios for excessively long.

Unsurprisingly, the Supra feels much rawer and more direct. The fast-geared steering is richer in feedback than the 230i's—and yet without unwanted kickback over rougher surfaces. Toyota has done a better job of tuning BMW's hardware than BMW has. But the powertrain integration feels less good, with both an abrupt top-end accelerator response and less accomplished gearbox programming, with occasional awkward pauses when working out a downshift strategy. The Supra's purer purpose is also evident in its lack of switchable dynamic functions beyond a Sport mode. The Toyota changes direction with more enthusiasm than the BMW and feels more engaging on a twisty road, but it struggled more with traction in tighter corners, lacking the BMW's optional electronically controlled differential.

This brings us to the most obvious difference that separates these cars: the fact the 2-series coupe comes with 100 percent more seating capacity. Granted, getting into the rear of the passenger compartment requires gymnastic dexterity, and any full-size adult will struggle to fit back there unless the corresponding front seat is moved well forward. But for anybody planning to travel with more than one passenger, the BMW is the clear winner in this pairing.

The BMW's cabin is also more spacious up front, and despite having a higher seating position than the Toyota, it boasts more headroom as well. The 230i's cabin is also finished in plusher and better-feeling materials, and benefits from BMW's current generation of switchgear and the iDrive 7 user interface. Our test car also had the Live Cockpit Pro upgrade, which adds a head-up display to the standard digital instrument cluster and the crisply rendered 10-inch touchscreen. Cruising refinement is markedly better than in the Toyota as well.

By contrast, the Supra's cockpit is snug and tight-fitting. And anybody who has traded in a five-year-old BMW will recognize these climate controls and shortcut keys. In terms of functionality, they work fine, as does the smaller 8.8-inch touchscreen that sits in a separate binnacle above the central air vents. But they don't look as good or feel as upmarket. However, we do prefer the older-style shifter the Supra still uses—it has a more satisfying weight and shape than the less substantial new version in the 230i. Both cars boast an identical 10 cubic feet of trunk space, although the BMW's luggage compartment easier to access.

Both challengers look sensible than their more profligate six-cylinder siblings, and both previously recorded a highly impressive 38 mpg on our highway fuel-economy test. The Toyota will have a greater appeal to those seeking to hide their frugality—beyond inch-smaller wheels, it looks identical to the 3.0-liter GR, but a $44,635 base price makes it more than $8000 cheaper. Our fully loaded 230i test car was optioned to within $600 of the Supra, but its $37,345 base price is significantly lower—and also $12,200 less than the all-wheel-drive-only M240i.

If you're looking for a sports car, the Supra is the definite winner here, and it shades a narrow overall victory. Even in its most basic 2.0-liter form, the Toyota is both fast and thrilling, and while we will fully understand anybody wanting to make the stretch for the bigger engine, the four-pot barely feels like a poor relation. The 230i is less exciting but much more practical, a genuine successor to many of the small, punchy BMW coupes we have loved in the past. Its traditional radiator grille and muscular proportions also make it one of the best-looking BMWs of recent years. Long may that trend continue.

We knew from camouflaged prototypes that the 2023 BMW M2 would be a seriously chunky boy. Now that the new coupe's edges and angles have been bared, it's clear we got the chunk right but we didn't consider the pocket Hulk intensity. BMW designers were intent on making a statement with the debut of the brand's last non-electrified M car, starting with a low, wide front fascia exaggerating all the horizontals. Leaving the M2 CS design language behind, straight lines and hard edges dominate. A stretched, frameless kidney grille separates stretched, single-element LED headlights. A pair of deep creases distinguish the upper area from the triple lower intake that is all rectangles, each element pulled laterally across the car.

The design softens slightly from there, the sides dominated by wheel arches bulgy enough for the M2's track to match the BMW M4, at 63.7 inches in front (+1.5 inches over the previous M2) and 63.2 inches in back (+0.16 inch), as well as matching the M4's 74.3-inch width. The other dimensions are a 180.3-inch width, 4.1 inches longer than before; a 55.2-inch height, 0.3 inch lower than before; on a 108.1-inch wheelbase, 2.1 inches longer than the last M2. The extra distance between the wheels makes for more legroom in front and back, but we still wouldn't expect to put anyone we liked in the second row for long.

The rear fascia exaggerates elements from the earlier car. A more pronounced crease sets off the decklid spoiler. The lower edge of the trunk doesn't cascade into the bumper anymore, rather, the two meet with straight lines, the bumper drawn like a jutting crossbar. Slim outer air vents are gone, pried open to form vertical rectangles housing reflectors. The diffuser insert looks to be merely that, a decorative insert to frame quad pipes emerging from a wide muffler. It is all very serious.

M's signature engine sits under the long hood, the S58 TwinPower Turbo inline six-cylinder. Puissance comes to 453 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, 48 horses more than the M2 Competition, nine more than the M2 CS, with the same torque figure shared between the three. The turbo six hits those numbers at slightly higher rpms than before, peak horse at 6,250 rpm instead of 5,230 rpm in the former M2 Competition, peak torque at 2,650 rpm instead of 2,350 rpm. The redline comes at 7,200 rpm.

Every bit of that goes to the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual transmission or an eight-speed automatic. Those wheels are now staggered; instead of wearing 19-inchers all around, a pair of Jet Black 19-inch light alloy wheels in 275/35 rubber hang off the front axle, a pair of 20-inch light alloy wheels shod in 285/30 rubber hang off the back. The larger contact patch is really about improving handling more than acceleration. BMW says 0 to 60 miles per hour takes 3.9 seconds in the automatic, 4.1 seconds in the manual. The M2 CS with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic ran the same sprint in 3.8 seconds, the M2 Competition with the same gearbox did it in 4.2 seconds. These close times are definitely related to the fact that BMW lists curb weight for the new second-gen M2 at 3,814 pounds with the manual gearbox, 3,867 with the automatic. The previous M2 weighed 3,600 pounds with the six-speed manual.

Standard performance aids to make the most of the go will include rev-matching Gear Shift Assistant on manual-equipped cars, the Active M Differential, Adaptive M Suspension, dual-mode steering, and M Drive Professional with ten traction control settings. Reigning everything in, the dual-mode braking system gets a set of six-piston brakes clamping 15-inch discs in front, single-piston calipers clamping 14.6-inch rotors in back.

The interior gets redesigned M Sport Seats with more aggressive side bolsters, stitched up in perforated in black or cognac Vernasca leather and set off with illuminated M logos. An optional Carbon Package swaps out for a set of new M Carbon bucket seats that save 24 pounds over the M Sport Seats, while keeping amenities like Merino leather, electric adjustment, seat heating, and illuminated M2 badges. The Carbon Package also gets the weight saving carbon roof instead of the glass moonroof that's 20% larger than before, carbon shift paddles for the automatic-equipped models, and carbon trim throughout the cabin.

Standard convenience and safety systems include Park Distance Control, Dynamic Cruise Control, Front Collision Warning with brake intervention, and Lane Departure Warning. Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go can be optioned only on cars with the eight-speed auto. The standard color palette gets Alpine White, Black Sapphire metallic, Brooklyn Grey metallic, Toronto Red metallic, and the M2-exclusive Zandvoort Blue.

The new M2's global launch will come in April 2023. Starting price will be $62,200 plus a $995 destination charge, totaling $63,195, about $3,300 more than the last-gen.