Right now the fastest BMWs you can buy without entering the ‘M’ territory are the ones sporting the ‘is’ badge. But soon they will all be replaced with the new M Performance Line. While these cars will have an M in their names, they are not real, fully-fledged M cars. They are more of a souped up versions of standard models.

We are already familiar with some of the M Performance Line products. The new super-diesel models such as the 6 M50d, and the M550d xDrive, and of course the newer M135i hot hatch are all amazing cars with more than adequate performance.

The next model in line to get the Performance treatment is the Z4 roadster. In a few years time there will be a new version of the car called Z4 M35i. Apart from everything else, the new name will be much easier to say that the current Z4 sDrive35is!

“We won’t make the change right now as it would confuse customers, but with the next model generation change, the successors of these models will be M Performance vehicles,” a BMW source confirmed to Car&Driver.