BMW will build exactly 100 compact performance cars with upgraded wheels, bigger brakes, and carbon-fiber trim, then sell every last one of them in Japan. Not a single additional horsepower comes along for the ride.
The M135 xDrive Apex Edition and M235 xDrive Gran Coupe Apex Edition landed this week as Japan-exclusive specials, with deliveries starting as soon as next week. Each model is capped at 50 units, split between 30 in Alpine White and 20 in Frozen Pure Grey. The matte finish carries a roughly $2,000 premium.
The mechanical story here is all chassis, no engine. Both cars keep the standard turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, seven-speed dual-clutch, and xDrive all-wheel drive. BMW chose to spend the upgrade budget underneath, fitting 19-inch M forged wheels in Y-spoke Style 1085 M and M Compound brakes with high-gloss grey calipers.
BMW claims the hardware “significantly improves rigidity and precision in corners” but declines to name a single specific suspension change or quantify any measurable gain. That’s the kind of vagueness that makes you wonder how much of this is engineering and how much is catalog shopping from the M Performance Parts bin.
The cosmetic additions reinforce that suspicion. Carbon-fiber mirror caps, black high-gloss M logos, decals, floor mats, and an interior badge round out the package. The M135 hatch gets a black high-gloss rear spoiler that BMW withholds from the M235 sedan, a small but telling distinction between the two body styles.
Pricing starts at ¥8,080,000 for the M135, roughly $51,300, and ¥8,130,000 for the M235, about $51,700. The matte grey paint pushes both past $53,000. That’s serious money for a car built on BMW’s front-drive FAAR platform with 300 horsepower and no additional mechanical differentiation from the standard M Performance models already sitting in showrooms.
Japan has long been fertile ground for these kinds of limited editions. BMW recently showed off a one-off orange X1 through a Japanese dealer and a two-tone X7 exclusive to the market. The appetite for scarcity in Japan lets automakers charge premiums that would be harder to justify in Europe or North America, where buyers tend to demand tangible performance returns for their money.
The broader backdrop matters too. BMW is pushing more than 40 new or updated models by the end of 2027. A rear-wheel-drive i1 electric hatchback is expected in Europe by 2028, and an i2 sedan could follow before 2030. The combustion 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupe will coexist with those EVs, at least for a while.
That makes the Apex Edition feel like a quiet celebration of a platform whose clock is ticking. Fifty cars here, fifty there, forged wheels and a spoiler, sold out before most people even hear about them. Whether 100 Japanese buyers are getting a future collectible or an expensive accessories package depends entirely on how long these compact combustion BMWs stick around.
Production is already underway. BMW has not said when, or if, similar treatment might appear in other markets.
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