It ‘s been a long-time coming but BMW has finally entered the fray when it comes to ceramic brakes. So why the wait? BMW was determined to side-step some of the issues that other manufactures (notably Lamborghini and Audi) have had with their similar systems. This is reportedly due to a new type of carbon-fiber ceramic material.Until we drive the car equipped with the carbon ceramic disks we won ‘t be able to verify. But what we can tell you are the rather impressive specifications.

The ceramic set-up weighs a full 43 lbs less than the standard steel set-up. Additionally, the diameter of the inner-vented and perforated brake disks is 400 millimetres at the front and 396 millimetres at the rear. The six-piston fixed-calliper brakes at the front axle – painted Gold metallic and complete with the M logo – are radially bolted to the pivot bearing.

The M carbon-ceramic brakes are 19.4 kg (42.8 lb) lighter than the standard-fitted items, yet the innovative material also displays exceptional resistance to wear, and the operating life of the discs is many times that of conventional equivalents.

The optional M carbon-ceramic system also sees six-piston fixed-calliper brakes at the front teaming up with single-piston floating-calliper brakes at the rear. The callipers can be identified by their special gold-colored paint finish.

What ‘s next for M ‘s new ceramic stoppers? Don ‘t be surprised to see them show-up on the M5 and M6 Gran Coupe option sheets.