I just had the chance to read the full interview and one part jumped out at me that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet:
Quote:
MT: Could M do a hybrid?
FN: It’s not necessary. The i brand represents those cars for BMW. Sure, a lightweight lithium-ion battery is useful, not for drive but for auxiliary functions and support systems. But there’s no M hybrid in the near future. But if, say, China passed regulations that meant I couldn’t sell M cars there without hybrid, I would have to think about it.
|
To me he dropped a big hint there. This might not necessarily apply to the F8x, but it could. However, certainly they are looking seriously into KERS-type systems, and if that research was not yielding potentially useful results, I don't think he'd even have made mention of the possible usefulness of the batteries.