More bang for BMW’s raciest coupe.

AS always, the M alludes to motorsport - the reason, back in the day, why the badge was created - but, with the next one to come to New Zealand, it won’t be short hand for ‘manual’.

This explanation from BMW New Zealand today when it said the updated M4, unveiled internationally overnight, will be here by June, but solely with an eight-speed automatic.

New Zealand is restricting preference to the M4 Competition Coupé with M xDrive, price yet to be announced. The incumbent car has been a $195,400 proposal.

Obviously there are design changes to the headlights and grille, but the single biggest change for the 2024 car is a power increase - the M TwinPower Turbo straight six now creates 390kW, a 15kW lift on the previous offering.

Other enhancements include revisions to the exterior styling package, availability of a new M forged wheel design and equipment upgrades for the cabin, with an upgraded instrument cluster that runs BMW Operating System 8.5 via a curved display.

The introduction comes off the back of BMW New Zealand taking first place globally for the sale of BMW M cars among the overall model mix in 2023.

Robust growth throughout the year elevated the country to the top, with sales of BMW M high performance cars – including the M4 – up an impressive 31.7 percent alone.