What is the name of BMW’s high-performance car division? It is BMW M, officially BMW M GmbH.
BMW created the division in 1972 as BMW Motorsport GmbH to organize and strengthen the company’s racing activities. The letter M stands for “Motorsport,” reflecting the division’s competition-focused origins rather than merely meaning “modified” or “maximum.”
BMW M later applied racing expertise to road cars. Its first production road car was the mid-engined M1, introduced in 1978. The division subsequently became best known for specially engineered versions of regular BMW models, including the M3 and M5, with upgraded engines, transmissions, suspension, brakes and aerodynamics.
BMW M is distinct from an M Sport package. M Sport is generally an equipment and styling package, while a full M car is developed as a high-performance model with substantially broader mechanical changes. BMW also introduced the intermediate M Performance category in 2012.