New BMW M2 a sell-out

BMW Australia is desperately appealing for more supplies of its new M2 coupe, the local waiting list for which stretches out more than six months even before sales officially commence this Saturday (April 16).

Priced from under $90,000 for the M2 Pure manual, with the M2 M DCT auto costing $98,900, the M2 is expected to significantly increase the sales of BMW's M range, which last year attracted more than 1000 Australians for the first time.

BMW also forecasts the M2 will bring a younger group of customers to its performance sub-brand without eating into sales of the M3 and M4, which it says will continue to outsell the M2.

“The BMW M2 will certainly help us to be present in a segment where previously we did not have a pure M offer, if you take aside the M Performance vehicles," said BMW Group Australia managing director Marc Werner.

"So the M2 will certainly help us to conquer new customers on one side and also help us on other side to substantially grow our BMW M volume."

Werner told motoring.com.au at this week's launch of the M2 in conjunction with the 2016 Targa Tasmania tarmac rally that he was appealing to BMW head office in Munich for an extra production allocation of M2 vehicles.

He said overwhelming demand had seen all 300 of the M2s secured for Australia this year had been snapped up by dealers and that only a handful remained unsold. Cars ordered now will not be delivered until late this year.

Werner said Australia's M2 allocation remained at 300 per annum in subsequent years, but that his company was competing with other markets for more supplies from Germany.

It's not clear how many extra coupes might be secured, or whether that would make the M2 the top-selling individual M model here, but BMW Australia says that – combined -- the M3 and M4 will remain its most popular models.

BMW's M range currently comprises the M3 sedan (from $139,900), M4 coupe (from $161,900), M5 sedan ($185,000), M6 coupe (from $292,600), M6 Gran Coupe (from $299,600) and M6 convertible (from $308,600), plus the X5 M (from $185,510) and X6 M (from $194,310) SUVs.

The next new M model will be the M4 GTS, which arrives in Australia mid-year.

In addition, BMW's 'mid-strength' M Performance model line-up includes the M135i hatch (from $62,900), M235i coupe (from $77,500) and M235i convertible (from $86,500).

In future, BMW's sub-M model range could expand in the same way Mercedes-Benz has applied its AMG badge to the new C 43 AMG sedan and coupe – direct competitors for BMW's 340i sedan and 435i coupe, which could become known as the M340i and M435i.

“It’s too early to say," said Werner when questioned about the potential of rebranded M340i and M435i models.

"We want to start with the strategy now in the 1 and 2 Series, and if that is going to be successful, let’s wait and see what we are going to do with the 3 and maybe even the 4 Series.”

Watch this space for our first Australian drive of the new M2 at 6:00pm this Thursday evening (April 14).