BMW Might Be Working On The M2 CSL Fans Have Been Waiting For

At present, BMW offers the M2 in base RWD form, with xDrive AWD, and as a special, more hardcore CS model, but it appears that yet another variant may be in the works. The G87 M2 is expected to remain in production for another three model years, so Bavaria may find further ways to keep it fresh, and a new video shared to Instagram shows what appears to be an M2 CS being tested with camouflage on its front and rear ends. Why BMW is testing a camouflaged version of the car it’s already revealed and launched is a mystery, but we have a couple of plausible theories.

BMW M2 CSL, M2 CS Manual, AWD M2 CS Options Make Sense

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This prototype is not wearing the hardcore M Performance Track Kit that the regular M2 has access to, nor does it have similar added aero to the M4 CSL (though this could be a very early development mule that is yet to sprout CSL-specific bodywork). Another possibility is that BMW is developing a less powerful version of the M2 CS with a Handschalter package, i.e., a more focused M2 chassis but less power so that a manual transmission can be fitted. The M3 CS Handschalter was the idea of a small group of people in North America, not the Bavarian mothership, but it’s already a smash hit, and as we’ve theorized before, adopting Porsche‘s iterative approach to high-performance special editions could further that success.

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An M2 CS Handschalter to say goodbye to the G87 would be relatively easy to achieve, though seeing it this early makes us think we’re looking at an AWD version of the M2 CS. Perhaps with the G80 M3 entering its final model year with the 2027 version, a more powerful take on BMW’s smallest M product combined with the quickness of AWD wouldn’t step on as many toes, and there would still be room to do the M2 CS Handschalter later on, just before the G87 goes away.

What This Means

With the 2027 M2 only recently being launched and including xDrive for the first time, it’ll be some time before we see what BMW is cooking up with this camouflaged CS prototype. We don’t expect to see the final product until next year at the earliest, and if it’s a manual M2 CS, we could be waiting until 2028. Either way, BMW is unsure how customers will react to the Neue Klasse generation of M cars, even though they will include gasoline-only models. With the G87 M2 becoming one of the most successful M cars during one of BMW M’s most controversial aesthetic eras, the automaker will want to squeeze as much as it can from the compact sports car before it leaps into a new generation with a fresh approach.