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Only a very small percentage of M5 owners take their cars to the track. And hardly anyone returns.
Being a purebred M car, the BMW M5 needs to perform well on a race track. During our first test of a prototype back in June, we can say for sure that it does, despite its incredibly high curb weight. But most owners won't ever experience an M5 at its limits on a closed course, according to BMW.
"For M5 customers, we know that there is a very small percentage of people who only drive the circuit once," M5 product manager Daniela Schmid told Romanian magazine Auto Critica. "Constantly… I'd say hardly anyone does."
That means the vast majority of people who buy M5s new never take them to the track, which is a shame. We commend the few that go at least once, though.
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"For us, it is important that any M model can be used on the circuit," Schmid adds. "If there are customers who want that, they can do it without problems, but that potential is also available to them when they drive the car every day. For this reason, we still maintain the requirement that the car can be used on the circuit, although we are aware that not many customers actually do this."
Schmid also revealed to Auto Critica buyer demographics for the M5. Surprising to no one, middle-aged men are BMW's main customers.
"The current [buyer] profile would be that of a middle-aged man, although we also have female customers—but most of them are men, entrepreneurs or high-management who have experience with other M models, maybe M3 or M4, and want an M5 as he gets older," Schmid says.
Of course, the M5's buyer base is evolving every day.
"I think over the last 20 years, the average age of the M5 customer has fallen largely due to Asian markets," Schmid adds. "In Asia, there is an interesting change, there are many young people in IT, software, with a lot of money from a relatively young age. Many have been to the US or Europe, where they got acquainted with the M range, and now they want to buy such a car in their country."