New BMW M2 Expected To Come Only With Rear-Wheel Drive

Even though we haven't even seen the regular 2022 BMW 2 Series Coupe yet, a lot has already been written about the flagship version. Slated to debut sometime next year for the 2023MY, the M2 is widely regarded as the last bastion of what a pure M car should represent by doing away with any sort of hybridization while retaining the manual gearbox.

Enthusiasts could have one more reason to get excited about the smallest of the M cars as a new report from BMWBLOG claims the next M2 is not going to be offered with xDrive. While the bigger M4 comes with a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive, the compact high-performance coupe is expected to offer only a tail-happy experience. That would be the exact opposite of what BMW is doing with the new M240i considering the M Performance version will be sold only with xDrive.

With no power going to the front wheels, the new M2 will be able to avoid putting on too much weight, although it could still gain a few pounds seeing as how the 2 Series Coupe is likely growing in size. Previously believed to top out at 450 horsepower, BMWBLOG reports the next M2 could have as much as 490 hp, which would place it right between the 473-hp M4 and the 503-hp M4 Competition. Torque is rumored to echo that of the standard M4, so around 406 pound-feet (550 Newton-meters).

The report goes on to mention an xDrive setup isn't completely out of the question as hotter versions of the M2 could adopt an all-paw setup, such as a potential CSL version. AWD would likely come bundled with even more power, thus allowing the M2 to surpass the 500-hp mark. For the sake of comparison, the already teased M240i with xDrive is going to offer 369 hp.

BMW will allegedly start production of the M2 in December 2022 and end it in early 2029. That said, the performance coupe could be phased out earlier than that in some markets, especially European ones, due to the increasingly stringent emissions regulations. Individual colors will finally be making their debut on the M2, and production will reportedly be split between the Leipzig (Germany) and San Luis Potosi (Mexico) factories.