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3 New Technologies that Made the BMW M4 GTS One-of-a-Kind

Jul 9, 2020

Why is the BMW M4 GTS Special

With the debut of the BMW M4 GTS road-going version, came new innovative technologies. Three noteworthy features were unveiled with the first appearance of the M4 GTS during Monterey Auto Week at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance, California during the summer of 2015.

What made the M4 GTS really special is that the two out of the three innovations were first world-premiere technologies for road-going cars.

#1. The BMW M4 GTS Water Injection System

3 New Technologies that Made the BMW M4 GTS One-of-a-Kind Water Injection

BMW M celebrated the 17th anniversary of being the “Official Car of MotoGP” in 2015 with a specially assembled BMW M4 MotoGP Safety Car.

MotoGP is categorized as a class of Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix. It is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing.  The same Water Injection Technology that debuted with the M4 MotoGP Safety Car was adopted by the BMW M4 GTS engine system.

The Water Injection Technology is a configuration designed to maximize the performance of the M4 GTS further. It increased the efficiency and the lifespan of the combustion engine while minimized energy consumption.

This technology boosts both the output and the torque by lowering the overall combustion temperature as much as 45° F (about 7.2° C.) Thus, thermal stress on the TwinTurbo engine and its components can be significantly reduced.

The system works by injecting water mist into the plenums of the intake manifold and cools the combustion chamber as water vaporizes. The outcome translates into earlier injection timing, higher compression ratio, and improved fuel consumption.

#2. The BMW M4 GTS Enhanced System Cooling

The engine of the BMW M4 GTS is fine-tuned to further strengthen the power potentials of the TwinTurbo assemblage. System temperature is continuously monitored and optimized under any driving state.

In addition to the pioneering Water Injection System and the intelligent design of the elaborate intakes, the intricate temperature management system is in place to stabilize and ensure consistent and optimal operating temperature.

Other than the main radiator and the high and low-temperature circuits, the turbocharger and the transmission are equipped with dedicated radiators to stabilize the temperature of the engine compartment. Furthermore, the turbocharger is cooled by indirect intercooler and supplementary electric water pump.

#3. The BMW M4 GTS Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLED) Tail Lights

3 New Technologies that Made the BMW M4 GTS One-of-a-Kind OLED

After the initial unveiling of the Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLED) concept in Beijing, China during April of 2014, BMW presented the new Concept Organic Lights technology in the newly designed M4 at the 2015 annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The new rear lighting system features a distinctive “L-shape” which gives off a wider, bolder, and more distinctive visual that well complements the overall power concept of the BMW M4 GTS.

OLED involves no precious resources in its production. Organic materials are utilized to produce an evenly lit surface instead of a single point of the light source. It reduces overall vehicle emission and is extremely energy efficient. An accentuated three-dimensional light is produced from a very thin 1.4-mm semiconducting layer of organic substance for both the rear lights and the directional indicators.

One of the major advantages of the OLED is the ability to aluminate individual sections of the lighting unit to create various effects in different driving modes.

For example, under normal drive, the L-shaped tail lights would appear as an evenly illuminated wide band where a larger section of the OLED is activated.  SPORTS mode, on the other hand, the OLED tail lights would illuminate as sharp and intense looking light “strips” fitting the racing characteristics of the M4 GTS.

To learn more about the M4 GTS, refer to our BMW M4 GTS official United States release article.