Last week, the new BMW M4 CS was unveiled, billed as a special edition variant to be positioned just below the hardcore (sold-out) M4 GTS.
In the official press release, the Munich automaker did not state exactly how many would be built, instead simply describing the newcomer as “exclusive” and its global production run as “limited”.
But, according to CarBuzz, BMW will build 3 000 units of the newest version of the M4 Coupé, over a two-year production period.
“We were surprised by the demand for the M4 GTS. All 700 units were sold out within four weeks. For various reasons we couldn’t build any more, but there was a clear business case for a more track-focused M4 to slot in above the M4 Competition and below the GTS. And that’s how the M4 CS came about,” Peter Quintus, vice president sales and marketing at BMW M, told the publication.
“The M4 CS slots in perfectly above the Competition and anyone who missed out on the GTS will want this car,” he added.
The turbocharged 3,0-litre inline-six in the M4 CS raises the output of the M4 with Competition Package from 331 kW to 338 kW, allowing the M4 CS to dip below the four-second mark for the claimed 0-100 km/h sprint (one-tenth quicker than the Competition Package model at 3,9 seconds). Peak torque, meanwhile, climbs from 550 N.m to 600 N.m.
The M4 CS comes standard with the M Driver’s Package, which means its top speed is electronically limited to 280 km/h. The new model is equipped as standard with the brand’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (with shift paddles), and thus will not be available in manual. It also boasts a number of carbon-fibre bits and bobs (some of them borrowed from the M4 GTS), all aimed at making the M4 CS even lighter.
So, with the new model scheduled to arrive in South Africa in the third quarter of 2017, how many units have been set aside for our market? Well, BMW South Africa has yet to confirm (also simply saying it will arrive in “very limited numbers”), although it’s worth noting that the German automaker’s local arm secured 23 of the 700 units of the M4 GTS last year…
