Automakers use prototypes to test new hardware, but not everything makes it to production. Remember how BMW built an M2 CSL (F87) and decided to keep it as a one-off? Hopefully, the all-wheel-drive G87 will have a different fate. After BMW M’s head of research and development, Dirk Häcker, recently told us that xDrive could happen, another company official has weighed in on the possibility of an all-paw M2.
BMWBLOG spoke with Sylvia Neubauer, Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales at BMW M, about the prospects of an xDrive-equipped version of the baby M. When asked whether it would make sense, her response was direct: “Clearly yes.” She added that the benefits would outweigh the extra heft added by the AWD setup: “We have been test driving some of those cars [M2 xDrive prototypes] and they’re a lot of fun.”
Just to be clear, this isn’t an official confirmation that an M2 xDrive is coming. As mentioned at the start, car companies test ideas all the time. Automakers turn some prototypes into production models, while others are abandoned on the cutting room floor. Even if BMW plans one, it likely won’t arrive anytime soon. Why? Because it would steal the M2 CS’ thunder.
Logic suggests the S58 engine won’t power the front wheels until BMW wraps up production of the Competition Sport. The rear-wheel-drive M2 CS hits the assembly line in August and is expected to have a one-year run. In a best-case scenario, the San Luis Potosi plant in Mexico could start building all-wheel-drive M2s as early as next fall, with deliveries beginning closer to the end of the year. A previous report claimed the xDrive version will enter series production in August 2026, which aligns with this timeline.
As for how much weight xDrive would add, consider the M240i with and without AWD. The two-wheel-drive model, sadly discontinued in Europe last year, weighs 3,748 pounds (1,700 kilograms) in the United States. Its xDrive counterpart comes in at 3,871 lbs (1,756 kg), a weight penalty of about 123 lbs (56 kg).
We’ve learned that if an M2 xDrive arrives, it won’t replace the “pure” version. BMW would keep both rear- and all-wheel-drive variants, including the manual gearbox for the RWD model. This would mirror the strategy already in place for the larger M3 and M4.