BMW M Division Employs Former Quattro Boss To Prove It's Serious About AWD

We’ve known for a while now that BMW’s M Division will be moving away from rear-driven cars in the not-too-distant future - starting with the M5 and likely filtering down eventually - and it seems the Bavarians are serious about getting fast all-wheel drive right. Former Audi quattro boss Franciscus Van Meel will succeed the retiring Friedrich Nitschke as M boss from 1 January.

The appointment comes less than a year after Van Meel left Audi, after reportedly falling out with Audi development boss Ulrich Hackenberg over the direction of the new Audi R8. It appears BMW has jumped at the chance to take advantage of the situation at Audi to snap up a man with the perfect knowledge base for its new direction.

Van Meel had held a number of senior positions in chassis development at Audi since 1996, before he became managing director of quattro in 2012.