BMW Z4M Still Under Consideration

"There are days when it hurts not to have one, but there was no compelling business case at the time when the decision was taken," Albert Biermann, head of product development told Inside Line. "We are trying to make a case but there are so many factors to consider."

The absence of a BMW Z4M is made more surprising by BMW's decision to develop a customer racecar based on the roadster. BMW's head of motorsport, Jens Marquardt, recently declared his desire to introduce the Z4 GTS racer in the US. The presence of the GTS on the racetrack would only serve to highlight the absence of a road-going equivalent.

While the Z4M is still "possible," M remains committed to the X5 M and X6 M.

"There is no strong competition and they've made good money, even during the economic crisis," said Biermann. "The torsional rigidity of today's X5 is 28,000Nm/degree, while the old E30 M3 measured 23,000, so it's a good base for an M car."