Earlier this month, widespread industry rumors claimed BMW was planning on launching the first-ever M3 Touring this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Speaking to a Dutch media outlet, one of the Munich-based automaker’s top executives has flatly rejected the rumors.
“It’s important to keep in mind that a M-tuned station wagon certainly won’t be a global model. I think the wagon would sell well in Central Europe but sales would be relatively low elsewhere, and we need to make sure every M model we build appeals to buyers around the globe,” explained Carsten Pries, the development chief of BMW’s M division.
Pries also pointed out he’s worried that building family-friendly versions of the M3 and the M5 would be straying too far from the formula that made both models icons in the hotly-contested sports sedan segment. Some buyers would bite, no doubt, but the market would be far too small to justify the cost of developing either wagon.
European buyers searching for a hot-rodded station wagon will need to look at the competition. On the Old Continent, Mercedes-AMG offers the C63 Estate with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that makes either 469 or 503 horsepower, while Audi builds a 450-horsepower version of the A4 Avant dubbed RS4 powered by a 4.2-liter V8 mill.
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