Welcome to the next chapter of BMW Today! Well, in these times I even can get hold of
the CEO of BMW M, Mr. Markus Flasch.
We are going to talk about the M8.
Hello Markus!
Servus, Ede! How are you?
Well, I’m pretty well I have to say.
So, what is the position of the M8 Coupé as we have it here in the BMW M portfolio?
The M8 Coupé is the top of the line.
It is the most powerful, the fastest M car we have ever developed and produced.
It’s a beauty and it’s just, yeah, it stands for itself.
I saw you on Instagram doing this #BMWMDesignChallenge
and you’ve been using the word “BMW Visualizer”. What is the story behind that?
We offer about 250 different colors in our Individual program
– frozen colors, uni colors, metallic paints, everything you can imagine
and it was always hard for the salesman to describe to a customer what his prospective
car might look like and so we developed a visualizer.
Okay, Markus, so that means #BMWMDesignChallenge
– you are emphasizing the people to go on the BMW visualizer and spec their
car as they would like to have it.
Exactly.
Can you give me a crazy color name?
Well, actually my last configuration on the M8 Competition was Signal Green Uni
with a black interior and black wheels – it was stunning!
Okay, but now we are running into the technical stuff.
I know you are driving on race tracks but we also have some questions of our fans.
They still don’t like the 4-wheel drive, Markus, what is their solution?
It’s very easy. M always stands for performance and rear-wheel drive with 625 hp
is reaching its limit so you don’t get any quicker with rear-wheel drive and this car.
You can switch the 4-wheel drive system off for the showing off mode if you want but
that’s not necessary and it’s definitely not quicker.
But I can go sideways?
You can go sideways, always, also with the 4x4.
Okay, so you can if you can. You can if you can.
Well, I’ve seen the BMW M8 also comes with a new kind of BMW M drive manager
with two orange or red buttons on the steering wheel. What is it all about?
You can get the entire setup of the car to your buttons including on this car for the very
first time with break-by-wire and a pedal feel adjustment, that’s available and on top
for the M8 there is also an M mode which changes the setup of the head-up display and
the center information display to the needs that you actually have, so for focus driving
or even race track there’s different settings.
The car really adjusts to what you need in every moment.
Can you show us how to do this?
Sure. Should we go to the convertible?
So, here we are.
So, Markus, first of all, I can see the orange M1 and M2 buttons but my question is
what is your recommendation and what is your setup
if you go and take this car on a race track?
You want to see my going home mode?
I actually put it to - I’ve saved it on M2 - everything on Sport Plus, chassis on Sport,
4-wheel drive Sport and MDM to keep a little bit safety on and the M mode on the sport setting
which only gives me the piece of information that I need for a sporty driving.
Okay, that sounds like a plan and it looks pretty cool!
I have a question: You’ve mentioned the track mode before on the other side.
What happens actually if drivers activate the track mode -
because it was saying you should not do this on public traffic?
The thing with track mode is that it switches off all driving assistance and also the DSC
can be switched off completely. So, you need to be sure what you’re doing,
you’re on your own when you go onto track.
We’ve mentioned the track capabilities of the M8 now but I also want to ask you a few
questions about exclusivity and I’ve seen, I’ve spied a vehicle down here in the BMW Welt
which is a First Edition of the Gran Coupé. Can we have a closer look on this one please?
Shall we?
Yeah, let’s go.
Let’s go! But first of all, when you go into Sport Plus one important thing:
the exhaust opens. Shall we give it a try?
Anytime!
It works.
Not bad, hm?
That is perfect!
Let’s go!
Well, Markus, we’ve finally arrived at the M8 Gran Coupé.
Does it make sense to have two additional doors for an M car?
Well, first of all, the Gran Coupé is the luxurious bookend of the 8 Line Up
and for some people there is more in life than a race track and some people have kids,
so an extra two doors in the back make perfect sense and the car drives and handles
in the exact same way as the Coupé does.
I’m sure you’ve checked this out already!
I’ve checked this out!
Alright, but then we can answer a question of our community and that is:
what is the story about those yellow headlights on this version?
Yellow headlights - we all know - are a reminiscence to BMW race cars
in the past and also today with the M8 GTE they come with yellow lights and we thought
it would be a nice detail to bring this to the street.
This car that is standing next to us is the M8 Gran Coupé First Edition.
Some of you might remember the show car that we put in Geneva a couple of years ago
in the exact same paint – Aurora Diamond Green Metallic – together with the bronze gold
elements in the front and also on the side of this car and those yellow lights,
this if for me the ultimate luxury experience that you can get on an 8.
Magic pictures when this car was driving on this ice lake.
Thank you so much, Markus, for being with us on this chapter!
And thank you guys for watching, I hope you stay with us
on BMW Today for the next chapter soon!