M2

Make
BMW
Segment
Coupe

In the first half of the year, the automotive world was flooded with news from BMW M as it began celebrating its 50th year of existence. We saw the arrival of many hotly-anticipated enthusiast cars like the BMW M4 CSL and the M3 Touring, the latter of which Americans have yearned for but cannot sample. Since the reveal of those cars, we've also been teased with a new limited-edition likely to be called the 3.0 CSL, but things have gone quiet in Munich over the last couple of months. Fortunately, insiders have broken BMW's silence on all things M and have revealed that the 2023 BMW M2 (G87) will be revealed on October 11.

The official reveal date is October 12, which indicates that the car will be unveiled to the public on the evening of October 11 for us Americans. According to BMW Blog, the G87 will debut with a vast array of color choices. Zandvoort Blue (said to be a non-metallic hue), Toronto Red, Brooklyn Gray, and Black Sapphire are those being circulated through the rumor mill at present. We expect that Alpine White will almost certainly be the only no-cost choice you can make, but a BMW Individual selection of special colors is expected to be made available to those who don't mind spending extra.

If you haven't been keeping up with the details on the new M2, let's give you a quick recap. The new M2 will be powered by the M3 and M4's S58 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six engine, likely producing in excess of 440 horsepower, probably achieving 450 hp.

But this won't be an overpowered car that can't handle its prodigious performance and will boast many of the suspension enhancements that the M3 and M4 enjoy over their 3 and 4 Series brethren. In addition, it appears that the M2 will be available with M xDrive, the brand's all-wheel drive system. This will likely make allowance for all the power to be sent to the rear axle, encouraging drivers to hang the tail out around bends.

Thankfully, the default configuration will see only the rear axle powered. In more good news, although the M2 will come with the eight-speed M-Sport Steptronic automatic transmission, a six-speed manual will also be on offer. If you've been interested in attaining a rear-driven BMW sports car with a stick shift and no electrification of the powertrain, this may be one of your last opportunities to do so. If you're lucky enough to be in the position to place an order, it's your civic duty to drive the car as the engineers intended.

We look forward to seeing just what they've achieved in a little more than a month from now.