BMW is dusting off one of its older logos for select vehicles and a bevy of vintage colors to celebrate the M Division’s 50th anniversary. Those with a functional memory will recall that the brand streamlined its corporate iconography in 2020, making its already basic logo flatter and less colorful than ever before. It was a monumental achievement focused on helping the image come across better electronic screens that have been in existence since 1927, began supplanting printed office memos in the 1980s, and have evolved to support the kind of graphical clarity that now rivals your own eyes. The automaker also claimed the bare-bones logo stood for “openness and clarity” and would be used primarily for marketing and official communications — rather than occupying valuable hood real estate.
The new celebratory emblem — used during the 1970s and 80s on the occasional BMW Motorsport product — will be permitted to adorn the sheet metal, however. You simply have to purchase an M vehicle, ask for it to be adorned with the retro iconography, and then pay some extra money.
While the cynic in me wants to point out how absolutely pointless of an upgrade this is, it does make sense since it is quite probably the easiest option for BMW to install with the best return on investment. It’s also likely to have a healthy take rate, as fake M badging has become tragically common. But Car & Driver reported that the anniversary emblems won’t be handled the same on all markets.
In Germany, where drivers are more-prone toward removing badges to hide whether they pinched pennies or splurged on the performance model, you have to get the logos ordered special. In the United States, where it’s fairly common to see people slap performance badges on vehicles lacking the relevant hardware, the fancier roundel will come standard on high-strung M models (e.g. M4) and available as an option for lesser M Performance vehicles (e.g. M440i). However, you cannot get the badging on American M Sport models, which are all about appearance, though it’s been deemed just fine for their German counterparts.
There’s little reason to rack your brain over why. BMW never seems to have a full handle on its own legacy, often denying its obvious roots in aviation while apologizing for Nazi ties and usage of slave labor. So don’t expect global consistency on the resurrection of a defunct emblem. Just decide whether you like it or not before purchasing any performance-focused BMW next year. Order forms completed before January 2022 will result in cars defaulting to the current badge, with the changeover presumed to take place later in the month.
That will also be the point where the automaker launches “50 iconic and historically significant BMW M paint finishes” that will be much harder to remove with a screwdriver if you don’t like them. Hues range from Dakar Yellow to Macao Blue and are said to match colors from noteworthy models in the brand’s past. Assume you’ll be paying extra for the privilege. But don’t assume they’ll be available on every model or trim. BMW said colors will be limited to selected vehicles, with M-badged cars being the priority.
[Images: BMW]
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“There’s little reason to rack your brain over why. BMW never seems to have a full handle on its own legacy, often denying its obvious roots in aviation while apologizing for Nazi ties and usage of slave labor. So don’t expect global consistency on the resurrection of a defunct emblem.”
At least it’s a rant about cars and not masks or vaccines.
When I was growing up vaccines were considered as saviors of human race. To get green card I had to be vaccinated. What is happening today is bizarre, vaccines become an embodiment of growing mistrust between impoverished middle class and the arrogant Government answering to elite and not to the people.
@Inside Looking Out – that’s only if you happen to sit on the right side of the political spectrum and it was politicians on the right that contributed to making vaccinations an issue.
Yet another reminder Germany needs to leave the EU NOW, before they sink even deeper into the pathologies which killed the Anglo world.
Prithee, what are the pathologies that killed the Anglo world? What is the Anglo world exactly? How is a Teutonic society affected by pathologies that affect an Anglo society?
@ el scotto: He means the Anglosphere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglosphere. But Anglosphere is far from being dead.
Cool. Now maybe they can also dust off the concept of fun to drive reasonably sized cars which don’t have more electronics than the Space Shuttle.
@Superdessuke:
Exactly! And while they are at it, restore the “Ultimate Driving Machine” philosophy.
I get it that enthusiasts don’t buy cars and blah blah. That’s fine, I guess, but that went a long way towards building the prestige of the brand even if those people weren’t leasing en masse. The masses were leasing because of the rep.
But now that reputation is fading and in the luxury segments, there are a lot of other options that are more reliable and cheaper.
At least get rid of the Bucky Beaver front-end YESTERDAY, and try to engineer powertrains that won’t bankrupt a billionaire who buys one second-hand!
Sadly, BMW sales have increased along with the softness. 80s yuppies put BMW on the map as the prestige brand to buy that was not the old man’s Mercedes. That they handled well was likely lost on many of them. BMW’s own customer surveys often had comments about their perceived “hard ride” and the company responded accordingly and they have been rewarded with increased sales. I’m ok if they want to sell softies, but they should still offer real performance for those faithful who were willing to overlook disintegrating cooling system components for that steering and handling magic. That a modern Cadillac often has better dynamics is telling.
Rearranging the deck chairs.
This might be of interest to some BMWphiles but few people outside of that sphere even care. Slow news day?
Kinda like Ford’s “I 3150” badge.
Oh Boy! a new BADGE to chase after with monthly lease payments and the down pmt. put on the Credit Card.
Maybe they can make the emblem big enough to cover the entire front grill.
And light up at night. It’s funny to me how BMW has evolved from conservative and classy cars driven by a-holes to these absurd caricatures driven politely by old people.
A lot of them are still driven by entitled a-holes….
“A lot of them are still driven by entitled a-holes….”
..when they’re not driving their range rovers.
High achieving narcissists just as the other upmarket brands but at least they use their turn signals.
” they can make the emblem big enough to cover the entire front grill.”
It is not enough. Make bigger and grill too even more bigger! You have to be able to identify BMW from satellite photo.
Anyone with a flathead screwdriver will be able to get one.