Auto Express sat down with head of BMW M Frank Van Meel at the recent Detroit Auto Show and came away with some provocative news regarding electric cars and the M Division:

“It will happen, but the question is when is that going to happen. Currently we still have a power to weight issue with electrification which makes that difficult to fit into a motorsports philosophy. We already see the stop/start feature coming to M vehicles and the next step is electrification. At the end it will also be pure electric, but it’s going to take some time,” Meel added. “Of course we are in close contact with the Project i group looking into next generation of cell technologies, electric motors, weight and cooling systems to figure when is the right time to make the next step.”

It’s not that different than we’ve heard in the past but it’s a little more definitive this time around. Also interesting is the fact that Meel again ruled out a M version of the i8 despite the new two brands working more closely together.

Source: Auto Express