BMW Building on M Sub-Brand’s Success With New Coupe

BMW expands its M high-performance sub-brand, confident the new M6 Gran Coupe will find ready acceptance in the U.S. and other foreign markets, particularly China.

Global sales of M-branded cars increased 40% year-on-year to 26,872 units in the last fiscal year, Carsten Pries, head of BMW M product management, says at the test-drive launch of the Gran Coupe in Munich.

The U.S. accounted for 40% of M-brand sales, followed by Germany, the U.K. and China, he says. Buyers are offered specialized driver-training instruction, outfitted-to-order bespoke cars and even exclusive tours of the BMW Museum in Munich.

The range is broken down even further to include M performance cars such as the 135i M Coupe and X5M and X6M, featuring sportier, more dynamic driving characteristics.

BMW anticipates brisk sales of the M6 Gran Coupe in China, where the auto maker hopes its air of exclusivity and luxury will trump tight speed limits and chronic traffic congestion.