New-look BMW M2 here by September

Fresh from revealing its upgraded 2 Series range this week, BMW Australia has confirmed  the new-look M2 Coupe you see in these fresh spy shots will arrive here as part of the revised 2 Series line-up in September.

What's more, it's set to become BMW M's best-seller Down Under.

The M3 was BMW's top-selling M model in Australia last year, spurred on by the popular Competition pack, but that's about to change following confirmation that more than 500 examples of the updated M2 – which is yet to be revealed – will become available here.

As with the existing M2, Australia will receive two variants of the Life Cycle Impulse (LCI; or upgraded) M2: both the ‘normal' version with a manual transmission as standard or an optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, as well as the stripped-out and more affordable M2 Pure Edition, which comes with a manual transmission only and less kit.

"We are very excited to be bringing the M2 in LCI guise, and you will see the Pure Edition as well as the regular variant in this market," said BMW Group Australia product communications manager Adam Davis.

When asked exactly how many new M2s will be made available in Australia, which is already one of the largest M-car markets in the world, Davis replied: “My belief is that we have secured 535 units, but we are certainly pushing for more.”

That's a significant increase on the original version of BMW's most affordable M-car, which claimed our Australia's Best driver's car for 2016. It is also set to go some way in addressing pent-up demand for the popular coupe.

Australia's initial allocation of 300 cars was spoken for almost immediately after its local launch at Targa Tasmania last April, leading BMW Australia to secure a further shipment of 100 extra cars the following month.

For perspective, just over 1000 M models were sold in Australia last year, with the original M2 accounting for almost half that, so the updated M2 will eclipse the M3 as BMW's most popular M-car in 2017.

Davis wouldn’t provide any details on pricing, but we don't expect the price to differ much, if at all, from the current starting point of $90,500 (plus on-road costs) for the M2 Pure. The M2 auto costs $99,500 plus ORCs.

“Pricing and final spec for local cars is still to be confirmed,” he said.

Beyond the frontal design changes concealed under the camouflage you see here, as well as standard equipment and connectivity upgrades and a new dashboard, the range-topping 2 Series is not expected to bring many mechanical changes - which shouldn't disappoint many.

It will be powered by the same 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six producing 272kW of power and 465Nm of torque, briefly peaking at 500Nm in overboost mode.

Combined with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and using launch control, the rear-wheel drive BMW M2 will accelerate to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds.

However, there is still no confirmation of the wildly speculated ‘M2 CS’ or ‘M2 CSL’ model which has been doing the rounds on various sites.

Davis confirmed that Australia will not receive the M2 Performance Edition to be released in the US. The track-centric model gets an M-tuned exhaust with titanium outlets, tuned coil-over suspension, black exterior accents and cool LED door lights that project ‘Performance Edition' at night.

“At this stage there are no plans to emulate the M2 Performance Edition, though obviously there is an impressive array of M Performance Parts available via our aftersales channels in Australia,” he said.

Speculation is rampant that an even hotter M2 CS model will bring the M3’s more powerful engine, similar to the new M4 CS, but it’s more logical that we’ll see an M2 Competition similar to the M3 Competition.

This would help further distinguish the M2 from the $74,900 M240i which, although not as quick as the M2, has more torque at 500Nm (without overboost) and is only 0.3sec slower to 100km/h.

Further supporting speculation of an M2 Competition model are internal model codes first uncovered by a credible source at Bimmerfest, which also uncovered the M4 CS model before its unveil. The internal codes quote a new ‘BMW M2 Competition’ model is on the cards.

Indeed, the introduction of Competition, GTS and CS models within the M3/M4 range has set a precedent for what we can expect to filter down to the M2, and although an M2 GTS is most desirable, an M2 Competition would be both easier to develop and sell in quantity.

When pressed on the question, Davis wouldn’t provide any indication of the next move for the M2: “This year, M2 will be BMW M’s biggest Australian seller, ahead of the M3 which took 2016 thanks to the strong market repositioning in late 2015, coupled to the Competition’s introduction.

"Additionally [however], there are no current plans to upgrade the M2 in terms of power/torque output,” he said.

In the meantime, the biggest shipment of M2s thus far should go a long way in satisfying Aussie demand.