Trump’s weaker emissions laws not necessarily a lifeline for BMW's V8s, V12s

The head of BMW’s M performance car division has told CarExpert the recent change to emissions regulations in the US won’t alter its product lineup – and won’t necessarily extend the life of the German automaker’s V8 and V12 combustion engines.

US President Donald Trump announced last week the repeal of the 2009 ‘endangerment finding’, a move which would see the US remove key emissions requirements for new vehicles sold in the world’s second-largest auto market.

The US is BMW M’s biggest market, with just over 72,000 vehicles sold there last year, accounting for one-third of its record global total of 213,457 sales last year, including 5827 in Australia.

V8 engines also attract “above average” demand in the US, according to a BMW spokesperson who last month confirmed V8 and V12 petrol engines would remain “a central part” of the company’s strategy.

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Speaking to Australian media this week, the boss of BMW’s performance arm, Frank van Meel, said the automaker was familiar with dealing with a range of different global regulations, and that it will keep its split strategy of offering hybrid and electric models into the future.

“Every region has had its own standards, its own application on engines, so there is no opportunity – nor is there a threat. It’s just the way it is,” Mr van Meel told CarExpert.

“We had to cope with that already for a long time, so we’re used to that, and of course the US legislation was always different from Europe, as well as China from Europe and the US again – so for us it’s not a new game, it’s a game we’ve been playing for a decade already.”

Emissions laws saw BMW M recently tweak the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain used in its M5 sports sedan and wagon, and its XM flagship SUV, to meet Euro 7 emissions regulations due in Europe in 2030.

The outputs of the 4.4-litre V8 that powers both models was reduced, but the outputs of its accompanying electric motor were wound up to compensate. The move resulted in the same peak power figures of 550kW for the XM and 535kW for the M5 as previously, but with lower tailpipe emissions.

The change may be rolled out to other countries in 2026 – potentially including Australia – but the BMW M boss said there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ tune for any of its models in all markets.

“There is no way of saying ‘Euro 7’ rules the world – it’s not going to happen because there are different regulations all over the world. You just have to comply with the differing BOPs [balance of performance] and the different races,” he said.

The M boss used the BOP term, which is used in the sports car racing series in which BMW competes, to describe the rules that ‘equalise’ competitors after they win, typically by adding weight to slow cars down and give others a better chance.

BMW M has also hedged its bets by announcing both electric- and combustion-powered versions of its next-generation M3 – the EV version of which is due in 2027 – with the two vehicles based on entirely different platforms at considerable expense.

The move will come after rivals Mercedes-Benz and Porsche posted significant financial losses after being forced into reactive product strategies following their decision to go all-in on EVs for some of their models – and in Mercedes-AMG’s case, ditching V8 power for a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain for its M3-rivalling C63.

“I think the split strategy is always right because it gives you the answer to the demands of our customers, and you always have to listen to your customers,” Mr van Meel said.

“What makes me so positive about the all-electric one is that timing is everything, because timing is also about having the right technology available that you need to do a proper car, and we are convinced that what we are working on right now is exactly the technology everyone has been or is waiting for in a high-performance car.

“I’d be glad to have this discussion again in one-and-a-half years’ time, once you’ve driven the all-electric one, because everyone we’ve shown that car to just got out and said, ‘I didn’t believe something like this would be possible’.”

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