Whenever an automaker trademarks an exciting name, there’s always the temptation of assuming it’ll be put to good use on an actual production vehicle. However, in many cases, automakers take legal measures to secure a certain moniker for the sole purpose of not losing it to a rival brand.
That brings us to a recent entry into the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA). As discovered by CarBuzz, BMW applied for the “iX M” trademark on November 18 and it was entered into the registry on November 24. The luxury brand will have ownership of the name from December 20, 2022, until March 30, 2023. During this interval, no other entity will be able to claim it in the country.
Consequently, a trademark filing is not necessarily a promise the name registered will become a badge on a road-going car. We believe that’s the case here with iX M since a purely electric M is still years away. We have it on good authority it won’t happen before the arrival of the Neue Klasse platform. As a refresher, NE will debut in 2025 with a 3 Series EV and a next-generation iX3.
In an interview with BMWBLOG back in September, Frank Weber, Head of Engineering and R&D, did speak about a quad-motor setup with over 1,300 horsepower. However, he refrained from talking about when we’ll see a full-fat M electric car. It is believed an M3-like EV will lead the way for high-performance applications of the Neue Klasse, but nothing is official.
In the meantime, the CLAR-based iX will continue to max out with an M Performance version. The M60 is nothing to sneeze at given its 619-horsepower output and an astonishing maximum torque of 1,100 Nm (809 lb-ft). It sits alongside the i4 M50, with an i7 M70 slated to arrive next year packing 660 hp.
Source: German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) via CarBuzz
