VIDEO: 2022 BMW M2 caught testing at Nürburgring

A prototype of the 2022 BMW M2 has been spied at the iconic Nürburgring track in Germany.

YouTube channel CarSpyMedia filmed the new-generation M2 leaving BMW M’s testing facility before being sent out onto the circuit.

Some of the car’s camouflage has been stripped away from the M2’s wide body – a good sign the model is edging closer to its unveiling in the coming months.

UPDATE, June 2022: BMW M2 prototype review

We've now driven the new M2 on track! It's still camouflaged, and technically a prototype, but this is your best insight yet on what's to come.

"Specify this new M2 with the no-extra-cost manual, and you have a fairly-priced instant classic with no waiting list. A no-brainer, really."

Get the full story at the link below.

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The story to here

October 27, 2021: The second-generation BMW M2 will be sold as a six-speed manual, heading into production from December 2022 with deliveries to start in 2023.

Set to be based on the 2 Series's recently revealed G82 chassis, the highly-anticipated G87 M2 will be the second iteration of BMW's cheapest M Division vehicle, replacing the F87 generation – which entered production in 2015.

Revealed by a BMW insider on the Bimmerpost forum, the G87 M2 is set to start rolling down the San Luis Potosi production line in Mexico towards the end of next year, with the familiar S58 engine under the bonnet.

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Carried across from the current M3 and M4, the 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged inline-six will be detuned from its current 353 kW to 339kW, with BMW not wanting to undercut its more established nameplates.

Despite the power reduction, this would still give the G87 M2 a significant boost over the current model, producing just 272kW from its N55 twin-scroll, single turbo inline-six.

As previously reported, no all-wheel-drive xDrive system is expected to feature in the M2 line-up, instead power will be delivered exclusively to the rear axle via an automatic gearbox or a six-speed manual, retaining the three-pedal purity of BMW's performance models.

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The next-generation BMW M240i, the model under the M2

It's not clear as to whether the six-speed from the current M2 will carry across or whether the 'box from the M3/M4 will be sourced, while BMW also has the option of using its new ZF-built, eight-speed conventional automatic or the existing seven-speed dual clutch for the two-pedal variants.

Despite being a new generation vehicle, the 2022 M2 will use parts derived from its predecessor, including an electronic limited-slip differential and re-tuned suspension, with an option for adaptive dampers and an optional carbon fibre roof.

As BMW moves towards introducing more electrified models, we get closer to the final manual vehicles to come from the German marque, with only the M2, M3 and M4 still sold with a change-it-yourself transmission.