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"M Performance Automobiles - Engineering by M GmbH"
I find this interesting. So it's an M car disguised as a "M Performance Automobile." Okay, then.
I personally think it's good to have options, even if it appears like the M brand has been diluted. It really hasn't though - it has just expanded. Before, you had one M car and it was either "just right" or "too much," depending on your tastes. However, there is no denying that the performance of today's lowest tier M car can still spank the M cars of yesterday on the track, so it's not like you aren't getting the sheer performance to back up the badge and the cost. With this new M hierarchy, you simply get to decide how hardcore you (and your wallet) are willing to go. Also, I don't buy the whole, "This is what the base M car should have been from the start," argument by all the CS reviewers. I mean, you don't hear Porsche GT3 reviewers saying, "This is what the base Carrera should have been." It's just not how things work anymore. We have infinite tuning options now with software tuned steering feel, adaptive suspension technology, etc. There is no longer a way to sell a "one size fits all" M car because there is too much room for interpretation these days in terms of how a car should be tuned for either road use or track use. BMW is now letting you choose if you want your M car more road optimized (majority of sales will fall here because of the use case and price point) or track optimized (more track-focused gear = fewer sales = more $ to justify the R&D) from the factory. This is just BMW doing what they have to do to compete and sell cars in a demanding marketplace.
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