Thoughts from the Boardroom

thoughts from the

boardroom

It’s been quite a year and it almost seems like yesterday that I was wishing you all the best for 2020 in these pages. Safe to say 2020 didn’t turn out quite how any of us expected, instead we were treated to the most topsy-turvy year in living memory and we’ve all had to face many difficult challenges. The natural rhythm of the year was interrupted and there were times when the days seemed to drag, yet at other moments whole months would fly by seemingly in the space of a week.

While it’s been a very difficult year for the automotive sector there have still been some high points and as a keen motorsport fan I have to start by congratulating Team BMW for its efforts in this year’s BTCC. BMW took the manufacturers’ title while Team BMW bagged the teams’ trophy with Colin Turkington just being pipped at the post to finish in second place in the drivers’ standings. With 27 rounds squeezed into a 16-week period starting at the beginning of August and ending in midNovember it was a hugely challenging season. Sadly for the fans all races were held behind closed doors but let’s hope we can see some live action in 2021.

I’d like to thank everyone at West Surrey Racing (WSR) for all their hard work and perseverance throughout the season, our results over the past few years have been extraordinary and it wouldn’t have been possible without WSR’s boundless enthusiasm and energy. I’m extremely proud of our BTCC record – BMW has won the manufacturers’ crown for five years Graeme Grieve, CEO BMW (UK) Ltd. years after the original E30 M3 went on sale. For the first time ever we’ll also be offering the M3 as a Touring, although you’ll have to wait until later in the year for the first production five-door M3. However, while I’m excited to see our new M cars on the road I’m also looking forward to the arrival of the iX this year, a car that is the first of a trailblazing generation of electric running and the teams’ title three times in the last four years. I mustn’t forget our drivers though with Colin coming so close to retaining his drivers’ title while teammate Tom Oliphant put in some sterling drives to finish sixth in the championship standings.

This remarkable run of form reminds me of the European Touring Car Championship during the 1970s when BMW was so dominant, winning six titles in seven years with the glorious 3.0 CSL. If you know your BMW history you’ll be aware that this iconic model celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2021 and even with half a century of progress since its debut, the CSL is still a glorious car to drive today. The first batch of cars used a carbureted 3.0-litre engine but over the ensuing couple of years fuel injection was fitted while the last batch of cars featured a larger, 3.2-litre straight-six and the fabled Batmobile aerodynamic kit.

I’m sure there will be many events this year to celebrate the CSL but it’s also going to be a very busy year for new models, too. Perhaps the most eagerly awaited debuts among performance car fans are the new M3 Competition Saloon and the M4 Competition Coupe

which will take to the road in March, 35 models that will redefine the way we drive and use our cars. Of course, the iX won’t be the only all-electric Sports Activity Vehicle making waves in 2021 as the first customer deliveries of the iX3 will take place in the summer. Indeed, by the end of 2023 we will have 25 electrified vehicles on sale with more than half of them having full battery electric drivetrains. The pace of change is quite phenomenal but it will leave me with a tricky conundrum – do I put an iX or iX3 or an M3 or M4 at the top of 2021’s fantasy Christmas list?

In the meantime I hope you’ve managed to have an enjoyable festive period, and while I’m now a little wary of saying I’m looking forward to seeing what the New Year will bring I wish you all the best for 2021 and beyond.