BMW’s M sports division wants to reproduce one of Hyundai’s technical solutions. The gear change simulator for the electric Ioniq 5 N is of interest to the Munich firm.
At a time when all brands are electrifying, BMW is working on its future sports cars. The M division of the Munich firm would like to maintain a traditional sporting appearance.
The engineers are obviously inspired by benchmark electric cars. But to create the sports electric car of the future, BMW M also wants to draw inspiration from eccentric models.
BMW M CEO Frank van Meel has revealed that he’s been keeping a close eye on what Hyundai is creating. And for good reason: the Ioniq 5 N, with its engine noises and simulated gear changes, interests him.
“I like their way of thinking, it’s our way of thinking too”said van Meel. “You have to have feedback. On the track, you don’t have time to look at your speedometer or tachometer.”
“In a race, if you take the time to look at your screen, two cars will pass you. We must therefore have a way of knowing what relationship we are in, a way of ‘feeling’ the regime.”
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“In an electric car, with only one gear, without sound or emotion, you don’t know if you are driving at 125, 150 or something else. We need to find a solution to this problem. We need to find a connection with the driver’s brain, without forcing them to look at their meter.”
“So I think what Hyundai has done with speed emulation and sound, and that’s actually what we’re already working on, is the way to go. We need something like this in our high-performance cars.”
“A new dimension of sports cars”
The idea of having a sound like a thermal car engine appeals to the German and his engineers. On the other hand, he does not think that we should create loud noises that are far from that.
“We wouldn’t make a fake supercar or spaceship sound. I don’t think the Hyundai’s ‘WRC’ sound sounds like a real WRC car. But I like their way of thinking.”
Indeed, the Ioniq 5 N offers a sound that is reminiscent of that of the Hyundai i20 WRC. BMW wants to offer a characteristic engine sound, but also false gear changes.
Van Meel reveals that this work is already underway in the BMW M workshops: “We have been working on this topic for several years now. I think we have very interesting approaches to solving this problem.”
BMW M Development Director Dirk Häcker sees the opportunity to innovate. According to him, it must remain quite simple to use and quite traditional in spirit.
“I think it is very important to create a new dimension of authentic sports car, with the driver at the center, and not to make a ‘PlayStation’”did he declare. “I think we need to be careful not to add too many features. We must have a single mission with our cars, without spreading ourselves too thin.”
