Up until very recently, BMW offered two different variants for each of its M cars: The standard M and the more powerful Competition model. Lately, however, the brand has quietly started phasing out its Competition trim. But BMW has a good reason for the shift.
In a recent interview with BMW Blog, BMW M CEO Frank van Meel confirmed that the Competition trim is all but dead on future M cars. The reasoning? Buyers simply preferred the higher-performance version. Van Meel said:
'More than 80 percent of our customers went straight for the Competition. So we said, let’s just make that the standard one. You could say that every M model today is a Competition.'
According to Van Meel, the move will help simplify the M lineup moving forward. Buyers will soon have just three options to choose from: The base M, the CS, and the CSL. Standard M models will now include many of the features—including power—previously reserved for Competition versions, while the CS and CSL trims will focus on reduced weight and enhanced track performance.
For now, BMW still offers the Competition option on select 2026 models, including the M3 and M4. Checking the Competition box adds standard xDrive all-wheel drive and increases the output by 20 horsepower—bringing the M3 and M4 from 503 to 523 horsepower. The X5 M also retains its Competition trim for 2026, with an output of 617 hp.
That said, newer models like the M2 and upcoming M5 no longer offer a Competition version for 2026. That change will undoubtedly extend across the entire M lineup in the near future. We’ve reached out to BMW for an official statement and will update this story when we hear back.
