CSL "parked" not retired
GTS is not a replacement for CSL says BMW M product bossBMW M product boss Carsten Pries says the brand's iconic CSL nomenclature is "parked"... not retired.
Speaking at the launch of the M2 this week in California, Pries told motoring.com.au that the CSL nameplate deserved to be honoured and "celebrated" and would only be applied to correctly "light-weighted" production cars.
The M brand will this year launch a powered-up M4 GTS and recently announced Competition Pack enhancements for the M3 and M4 turbo sixes.
The company has also used CSL on a recent concept car. But a production CSL is a very different animal, Pries contends.
"With the Competition Packs maybe we have the C and the S covered but L means Lightweight. And therefore to use CSL we have maybe to add even more light-weighting," M Division's product head stated.
"Maybe it [CSL] is parked for a while," he stated.
BMW Australia confirmed the Competition Pack availability in January. The kit adds around 15kW to take the M3/M4 to 331kW.
The M4 GTS is also coming Down Under and is due to arrive in mid-year.
But Pries stresses GTS is not a replacement for CSL in the company's lexicon.
"This is for the driver who wants to take his car to the track, change the tyres, compete and then drive home again," he said of the M4 GTS.
Pries says it is too early to say whether the GTS water-injection system and race-spec add-ons will be applied to other models, for example the new M2.
"You feel like a race driver even without your fire proof suits," he said of the new M4 variant.
"I can see some [M2] buyers will want a similar feeling. Yes, I can imagine an M2 GTS... But there are no firm plans," he stated.
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