The next-gen BMW M2 has been spotted on so many occasions this year alone that it’s almost ridiculous. It lost some camo back in February 2022, was spotted on the Nürburgring in March 2022, seen with M Performance parts later on in March 2022, and now we’ve seen it again. This time, however, we got a pleasant surprise in our newest batch of spy shots, and you won’t believe what we’ve found.

BMW M2 – Say Hello to the iDrive 8 Infotainment System

While our spy photographers managed to get up close and personal with this M2 prototype, BMW did a pretty good job of covering the dash, so we can’t see too much. What we can see, though, is that there are two large display screens – one ahead of the driver and one on top of the center stack. This is essentially confirmation that the M2 will feature BMW’s new iDrive 8 infotainment system. Interestingly enough, this system has trickled down the lineup quickly as it was once just limited to BMW’s electric vehicles like the i4, and was just recently revealed in the 7 Series, so it’s quite a big deal that it’s landing in the M2 so quickly. We do expect the regular 2 Series to get the same dash layout and display sometime down the road.

Beyond the Technology

As for the rest of the prototype in these images, we can’t say too much. The exterior is still covered very well, but we can see that its general style is much more aggressive than that of the standard 2 Series or the M240i. There’s a new design in the front fascia that facilitates better airflow to the cooling systems, and there are even vents around eh headlights. This particular example is likely the M2 Competition as the titanium exhaust is somewhat of a dead giveaway, so that could explain some of the more aggressive cues poking out through the camo.

As for the powertrain, the M2 will be powered by BMW’s tried and true 3.0-liter inline-six. It’s the same engine that’s found in the M4, but it will feature an M2-specific tune. Rumor has it that this generation will be good for 425 horsepower in standard guise and closer to 450 horsepower in Competition guise. RWD will be the standard offering here, but we can’t say for sure whether or not a manual transmission will be offered. There’s a good chance the M2 could be stuck with the ZF eight-speed automatic, but that transmission is so refined it really wouldn’t be that big of a letdown.

The M2 is scheduled to go into production by the end of 2022, which means deliveries of the 2023 model should happen sometime in the first quarter of 2023. BMW will likely have an official unveiling in the fall of 2022 at the latest, which would still give plenty of time to generate hype before production kicks off.