'We're on their map': How Aussie fast-car lovers could shape future planning for global BMW M models thanks to huge local enthusiasm for cars like the M3 Touring and M4 CS

“Everyone wants a sexy, stylish, sporting, aggressive-looking BMW.”

That’s what BMW Australia reckons is the driving force behind the popularity of its performance models, cars with an ‘M’ in their badge, be they full-fat M-built machines or M Sport models with a bit more go than their more pedestrian counterparts.

In fact, despite the diminutive size of Australia as a market on the global stage, our high per-capita uptake of M models means BMW Australia is now part of the planning team that decides on future M products.

BMW Australia’s Head of Product and Market Planning Brendan Michel told CarsGuide Australia has increasingly been on M Division’s radar, now culminating in our market getting a say in what M develops, to some extent.

“We’re now involved in future planning. Australia is on their little M map when they show the world potential areas where these M models would work, we're highlighted on the map on the global stage, which is good.

“And we know one in five [BMW sales] — 20-something per cent — is an M model here in Australia.”

That refers to both M and M performance models, anything with an M in the variant name but excluding cars that are just fitted with M Sport styling packs — because that’s pretty much every BMW sold in Australia these days.

Basically, full M cars like the M3 or XM, plus ‘halfway’ cars like the M135 or i5 M60 make up around a fifth of BMW Australia’s sales.

If BMW continues its sales trajectory for 2024 so far, it should sell around 25,000 cars. If BMW’s maths lines up, that means around 5000 M or M-related cars.

Brendan Michel says a lot of M models aren’t intended to be big sellers, but having them visible as halo models is helpful for the brand and has been part of the local arm’s ability to stay afloat in dire times for premium manufacturers.

“We've got some good products positioned correctly for the Australian market.

“We had a look at this two or three years ago and saw some opportunities where we could capitalise, and it's working out well for us so far.”

He says even recent global low-volume cars have unexpectedly come Australia’s way, which has helped not only cement BMW Australia as a serious performance market on the world stage, but also as a brand within Australia still willing to offer performance models that might not break sales records.

“[Performance cars] aren't necessarily big volume markets, but they're a halo for the brand. Important, even though they're low volume, they're important models for us as well.

“And things like M4 CS, when M reached out to us to say ‘we're going to develop this, would you like some?’ and we immediately say, ‘just hurry up and build it, send it to Australia. Of course we want it’.

“Even little things like the M3 Touring. That was never on the cards for Australia, until they rang us up and said, ‘we've got so much interest we're thinking of doing right-hand drive for you guys, UK and Japan. Would you like some?’ And again, it’s ‘just hurry up and build it and send it’."

It’s early days for now, and Michel wouldn’t budge on any details in terms of the influence Australia might have on M’s future developments globally.

“There are some things I can't talk about. In the future… there are some things on the go at the moment we'll see down the track which we're having some strong input into. Yeah, I just can't divulge at the moment.”

For now, the next M product to launch in Australia is the M5 Touring, which is expected late in the first quarter of 2025.