Trademarks a can be a tricky thing because while they do point to potentially big things for the future, there are no guarantees that these “big things” will pan out. But this one is more than interesting because it involves BMW and the possibility of seeing a whole family of CS models down the road. According to Auto Guide, the German automaker has filed trademarks for a handful of CS-badged models, ranging from the M1 to the M8, with the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Why is this big? Well, the answer goes back a few months ago when reports of BMW introducing an M4 CS model, a performance-oriented version of the coupe that’s rumored to sit between the M4 and the track-focused M4 GTS. If the M4 CS is an indication of what we can expect with these new trademarks, there’s a possibility that the M4 CS won’t be the only CS-badged model we’ll see in the future. Is it possible then that a full family of CS models, beginning with the M1 all the way up to the M8, is on the way? We can dream, right?

Take it a step further and you can even point to the M4 Competition Sport that BMW introduced in Spain as a limited edition model to serve as a precursor to the M4 CS. That or BMW could just build off of what it already has with the M4 Competition Sport and rechristen it as the M4 CS. A lot of possibilities are beginning to come into play here and it all points to a lot of exciting possibilities.

Beyond the ramifications of having an entire lineup of CS-badged M models, the trademarks also provides a hint that BMW may finally give the 1 Series a full-fledged M model. More importantly, an M8 CS model adds another layer of proof that the German automaker is going full steam ahead with bringing back the entire 8 Series family, M models included.

Then again, these trademarks could end up being nothing more than BMW performing its due diligence to prevent other brands to trademark the same names. That’s a possibility, but I think we’re all unanimous in hoping that these trademarks lead to something more than that.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Now this is exciting news

When something like this comes up, I always veer into the side of caution because getting too excited has proven to be very nerve-wrecking. I don’t blame those who are excited about the possibility of a family BMW M CS models, but until something tangible comes out from the German automaker, I’m going to keep my hopes and excitement under lock and key for the time being.

That said, you can point to the reported BMW M4 CS as the first of these CS-badged models to arrive. There’s been no timetable on when that model is going to hit production, but there are indications that 2017 could be the year. At the very least, a test version of the model has already been spotted during some runs on public roads so that’s one thing we can all look forward to.

As far as other M CS models are concerned, if BMW does proceed with building a family of these models, the expectation would be that existing M models would get the first run. That could mean models like the M2, M3, M5, and M6. That leaves the M1 and the M8 as the two long-term possibilities of getting CS models. The M8, in particular, is still going to take a while, in large part because BMW has yet to resurrect the entire 8 Series family. That needs to happen first before it can introduce an M8 and whatever other variants it has in store for its new flagship model. Only when that lineup is well-represented will we likely see an M8 CS.

Here’s what I do know: these CS models are welcome additions to the M lineup, in large part because there are some noticeable gaps between different variants within a specific M lineup. We already know that the M4 and M4 GTS models have a big gap between them so an M4 CS variant could slot in perfectly as the middle-model of the lineup. It’s the same thing with the M2, which has a GTS variant of its own and a rumored CS model in the pipeline.

Read our full review on the BMW M4 CS here.