Quote:
Originally Posted by Adem1534
I'll tell you why: because it further seperates it from the M4. The lower roofline means that the rear seats will be even less usable. Therefore anyone who has children (aka the older crowd) will be more likely to go to the M4.
The lower roofline attracts younger buyers who do not yet need the space of the M4.
The people saying that this is Toyota/BMW are forgetting the fact that this Roofline drop is CLEARLY well executed. Look at the fitment, it's flawless.
You don't alter and re-sculpt body panels to test for a toyota/bmw joint car. The sculpting has clearly been stylized. This is for a production model.
This is actually getting ridiculous how people keep insisting that it cannot be an M2 test.
Carbon fiber roof. Double Bubble roof. Carbon fiber hood. Lowered Roof line. Recaro seats.
It's development testing for the M2. No question about it.
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1. We have seen M2 development vehicles, and they are not this.
2. It's too late in the development cycle for these changes to be made to the M2. The final prototypes have been on the road for months now with the production body work. The car launches next fall, that means the car will basically be production ready by spring at the latest. If this were the M2, we would have seen this car a year ago, and the other prototypes would already have this body work.
3. It's also much shorter than an M235i. This, along with the chopped roof, would basically force a completely new vehicle in order to fit passengers properly.
4. It doesn't have wide fenders or other M body work. If they were going to do all the body work for the roof and wheelbase, they would have included all the M body work.
5. Race car, CSL, GTS versions would not be developed using the stock M235i body work at this point. They would either be using the same M2 mules as the other ones we've seen or they would wait for the production car to launch and modify one of those.
6. Early chassis mules almost always have aftermarket Recaro seats along with a cage and harnesses for safety reasons. Several early M3/M4 prototypes had them as well.
I work in the auto industry. I'm telling you there is no chance that this is an M2 mule.