Originally Posted by LeMansX5

BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer recently revealed plans to phase out diesel V8 engines across the board, but as drastic as this sounds it could be just the tip of the iceberg for the carmaker’s future plans to shakeup its powertrain lineup. BMW’s hallowed ‘M’ division could also be affected by the new wave of environmental consciousness sweeping carmakers across the world, the end result being smaller engines and turbochargers in future M cars.

Speaking with Auto Motor and Sport, Reithofer said BMW would focus on its six-cylinder engines as it attempts to improve emissions and fuel consumption levels in light of stricter regulations set to roll in over the next decade in both the U.S. and Europe. During the same interview he told reporters that he’d like to see future M cars lose a few cylinders and shed more weight. He gave the example of BMW’s brilliant 300hp twin-turbo 3.0L six as a future direction he’d like to take.

Although purists may scoff at the idea of a turbocharged M3 or even M5, it’s a direction rival performance house AMG is likely to take as well, and with the current practice of one-upmanship amongst carmakers BMW may not have a choice.