In the model’s history, there’s never been a BMW M3 as controversial as this new one. So Benny over at our sister site BimmerToday spoke with BMW Project Manager Robert Pilsl about the new BMW M3 and BMW M4, to get some clarification on some of these two new cars. [All quotes from Pilsl were translated from German to English, so mind some oddities]

Of course, the first question was about their new design. The new BMW M3 and M4 have a new kidney grille design that’s been ridiculed mercilessly ever since it was revealed, fair or unfair. However, Pilsl admits that it takes some time to get used to.

“So it didn’t surprise us because we knew that our design would polarize. But the vehicles can also attract a bit of attention, so that was clear to us from the start. After all, they are not cars that you buy just to get from A to B. I myself got into the project in March 2018, saw a clay model for the first time, and of course when I saw the front I got a little bigger eyes at first. But as soon as I saw the car for the third or fourth time, I liked it better and better.”

“In my opinion, the front design cannot really be experienced in a photo, you have to see it live and experience the three-dimensionality. And yes, it takes some getting used to, but in my eyes these were always the best designs, that didn’t appeal to everyone at first glance and then quickly got a bit boring. That will certainly not happen to us here, even if in five years there will certainly still be people who do not like it. But I am absolutely certain that it will have the right effect in traffic,” he told BimmerToday.

There are also some enthusiasts that feel that BMW should have kept the M3 and M4 separate, in terms of design, giving the new grille to the M4 and letting the M3 stick with the 3 Series’ grille. However, Pilsl claims that the M Division wanted the only separation between M3 and M4 models to be their door count. “No, that was never an issue. Our strategy is very clear: M3 and M4 only differ in terms of the number of doors, everything else is as identical as possible. The M3 should have the same driving dynamics, develop the same effect, just with two more doors and with a sedan instead of a coupé shape.”

BMW also announced the official production of an M3 Touring, the first time such a car will ever be made. While we haven’t seen it yet, BMW has officially claimed that it’s on the way. Due to that, fans have speculated that BMW might also introduce new models to the mix, body styles that have also never been made before. Most notably, fans are hoping for a BMW M4 Gran Coupe. Though, Pilsl officially squashed that idea.

“We’ll stick with the well-known core models for the time being, then go one better with the Touring and believe overall that we are offering a very good mix. We don’t see the need for an M4 Gran Coupé at the moment.”

Read the full interview over at BimmerToday, as it’s filled with interesting tidbits about BMW M’s newest sports cars.

[Source: BimmerToday]