The 2024 BMW M3 CS will be sold in Australia but it will do so at a significant premium to the car’s U.S. price. Set to be showcased to the public for the first time at this weekend’s 24 Hours of Daytona race, the limited-run BMW M3 CS will land Down Under in the second half of 2023. BMW has not said how many units will be produced, nor how many will be sold in Australia. What we do know is that it will be priced from AU$ 249,900 (US$ 177,504). That’s a heck of a lot more than its US$ 118,700 (AU$ 167,000) starting price in the U.S.
It is also considerably more expensive
than the standard M3 Competition (AU$ 160,900 / US$ 114,271) and the forthcoming
Mercedes-AMG C 63 E Performance Hybrid that’s expected to start at around
AU$ 200,000 (US$ 142,040). However, the price probably won’t dissuade all that many
BMW enthusiasts from placing an order. After all, Aussies love their M cars, so
much so that one in five BMWs registered in the country wears a BMW M badge.
The BMW M3 CS shares many of its parts
with the M4 CSL. This includes the same modified 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged
six-cylinder that includes a new forged lightweight crankshaft, a cylinder head
with a 3D-printed core, and a crankcase with a sleeve-free, closed-deck
construction. All up, the hardcore sports sedan is good for 543 hp at 6,250 rpm
and 650 Nm of torque. A key difference between the M3 CS and the M4
CSL is that the former uses an xDrive all-wheel drive system while the latter
is rear-wheel drive only. This means the M3 CS is significantly quicker off the
line, capable of hitting 96 km/h in 3.2 seconds compared to the 3.8
seconds of the M4 CSL.
A number of weight-saving measures have
been made over the M3 Competition on which the CS is based. These include a carbon
fiber hood, air intake, mirror caps, rear diffuser, and spoiler. There is also
a new titanium exhaust. As a result, the M3 CS weighs 34 kg less than
the Competition, tipping the scales at 1,776 kg.
