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BMW names new head of M division

BMW's performance division has been run by Dr. Friedrich Nitschke since 2011, developing, among other products, the new M3 and M4. But soon the good doctor will be retiring, and BMW has just named his successor.
Taking Nitschke's place as chairman of BMW M GmbH will be Franciscus van Meel (pictured at right), who until recently served as managing director of Audi Quattro GmbH - the rival outfit that makes Ingolstadt's performance models, including the R8 supercar and RS line of performance models.
Van Meel will join BMW on October 1, presumably to learn the ropes from Nitschke before the 59-year-old executive steps down at the end of the year. Back in January, Audi named Heinz Peter Hollwerweger as head of Quattro GmbH and reassigned van Meel to its Beijing R&D center, a role which evidently didn't suit him as well as creating Autobahn-storming German muscle cars.

BMW M6 GTLM already looking mean ahead of Daytona debut

BMW Motorsport is preparing to roll out the new M6 GTLM. And Americans will be the first to see it when it marks its debut during this week's IMSA test session at Daytona International Speedway. After that, two of the new competition machines will be campaigned by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Designed to compete at the top levels of sports car racing, the new M6 GTLM will be the successor to the Z4 GTLM and the M3 GT2 before it. And with its introduction, the quasi-works RLL outfit will have been there for all three. The team co-owned by Indy legend Bobby Rahal, talkshow host David Letterman, and industrial crane magnate Mike Lanigan, has won the IndyCar championship three times, the Indy 500 once, and has recorded dozens of race wins, poles, and podium finishes. RLL branched out into sports car racing in the American Le Mans series in 2009 and has won several titles since. The new M6 racer will have some heady competition to deal with in the IMSA's GT Le Mans class next season. Among the new machinery we can expect to see on the grid in the coming year will be the new Ford GT, Porsche 911 RSR, Corvette C7.R, and possibly the new Ferrari 488 GTE, as well. Another version of the BMW entry is being prepared for privateer teams competing in the GT Daytona class, where it will have to contend with the likes of the Audi R8 LMS, Dodge Viper GT3-R, and Lexus RC F GT3. We're looking forward to seeing what the Bavarians will have to throw at 'em when the M6 GTLM debuts at Daytona this week. In the meantime, you can scope the machine out in its primer coat while undergoing a shakedown at Sebring in the gallery above.Related Video: 2016 BMW M6 GTLM to Make US Public Debut at Nov. 17-18 IMSA Daytona Test Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – November 13, 2015... BMW Team RLL will participate in the Nov. 17-18 IMSA test at Daytona International Speedway marking the first public test of BMW's latest endurance racing challenger, the BMW M6 GTLM. As announced during last season's Petit Le Mans weekend, BMW Team RLL is expected to campaign two M6 GTLM race cars in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The M6 GTLM recently completed its first US test at Sebring International Raceway in late October along with a M6 GT3 machine that will provide the foundation for BMW's worldwide customer racing program.

Next BMW X1 moving to smaller, lighter FWD-biased platform

BMW's decision to make the upcoming 2-Series Active Tourer front-wheel drive has been polarizing to say the least, but like it or not, that is the direction the company will go in the near future - one rumor put the number as high as 23 front-wheel-drive models for Mini and BMW combined. The next-generation X1 won't send all its power to the front wheels, though, when it launches in early 2016. While it will use the same platform as the Active Tourer, rumors suggest all models will use all-wheel drive - at least at launch.
A "high-ranking," unnamed BMW manager confirmed to AutoWeek that the new model will switch to transversely-mounted three- and four-cylinder engines and the same six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions as the Active Tourer. The new, smaller platform will allow for more efficient packaging, and despite the smaller size, interior space will remain comparable. All the changes should make it significantly lighter too.
Don't start wailing just yet because BMW surely won't be entirely abandoning sporty models. AutoWeek claims that the Bavarians are working on a higher-output version of the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with power closer to 300 horsepower, about a 72-hp boost. It's also rumored to offer a sporty version of the X1 that may be called the X2.