BMW has decided to can the Homage in favour of investment in green technology. That means more diesels and no R8 rival. It makes sense, but still…
By Gareth Dean
You’d be forgiven for thinking it was the 1970’s again. With onslaught of smaller-engined cars making more sense in a market dictated by emissions standards and petrol pump readouts, V8-powered concept supercars so tantalizingly close to realization are dropping like flies.
The latest victim of this insidious trend is BMW’s M1 Homage concept. That’s right, despite BMW board member Herbert Diess’ claim that BMW has “the know-how, the right engine, and the infrastructure to build such a car “, the idea has just been quashed by another company executive.
Klaus Draeger, head of BMW’s EfficientDynamics program, revealed that the company will focus on the development of green technology and has effectively shelved M1 production plans.
The decision will leave BMW without a viable counter to the likes of Audi’s R8 and the Porsche 911. Taking into account that petrol prices are unlikely to do anything other than rise and emission laws will only become increasingly stringent, BMW’s decision makes sense from a business perspective.
We all saw this coming, but that’s not to say that we’re happy that its happened. The original car only amassed 456 units, as it was released during the late 70’s and early 80’s – another time when petrol prices were killing off all of the biggest, boldest cars on the planet. Now, a mixture of sky-high oil prices and a general ‘greening’ within the motor industry appears to have offed its successor…It seems the M1 is simply one of those cars that fitted the ‘right idea, terrible time to even consider it’ school of thought.
