BMW Appoints New “M” Boss

Markus Flasch (left) has been named chairman of BMW AG’s “M” performance division, effective Oct 1.

Flasch will succeed Frank van Meel (below), who will lead the carmaker’s total vehicle development team. Van Meel, who joined BMW M four years ago from Audi AG’s Quattro unit, oversaw the development of several high-end models and championed the use of all-wheel drive in new M cars.

The Austrian-born Flasch most recently headed the development of BMW’s flagship 8 Series lineup. He previously was in charge of quality management for all BMW Group luxury models.

Flasch started his career as an aerodynamics engineer for Audi. He also has worked for Magna and Russia’s GAZ Group.