As said, intrinsically, esthetically as well as image-wise, a genuine ///M will always be ahead of any other copycat version, so M car owners shouldn't feel that BMW is bargaining too much of the exclusivity that their cars' price tag implies. I even quite often read that, all in all, M cars are generally considered as being good value for money compared to more exclusive brands (Porsche, etc.) given their outstanding versatility (performance and practicality), well that's what M is supposed to be after all
But this is precisely why M customers cannot ask for a relatively discreet and day-to-day practical supercar and at the same time for real exclusivity. Because by definition M cars are based on "regular" models, I mean classical looking front-engine sedans and coupés (and now SUVs). And also because BMW is now a global brand just like Ford or Peugeot - only more upmarket/premium - in that they are trying to fill in the slightest gap in their range, replying whenever its rivals Audi or Mercedes create a new genre in the premium market (e.g. Mercedes CLS or ML) or introducing new genres, only to be copied by the others later (e.g. X6). 20 years back, who would have thought of the Mercede A, B, ML or R Class, of the Audi A1, of the 5 Series GT or of the upcoming 1 Series GT minivan?..
Who would have thought that BMW would produce an ugly LWB F30 in China with disgusting chrome add-ons just to please the Chinese market? These 3 premium brands have already sold out their 'exclusivity' and traditional spirit long ago... Fortunately they continue to produce some fantastic supercars as well
For those looking for more exclusivity, see Porsche or Maserati, but you won't pay quite the same price and you won't get the same practicality... Those who choose BMW should accept that BMW is now a global brand with a diverse range trying to maximize its profits, including those of the M brand (which is BMW after all). Yes it's milking, but this is because M cars are fabulous and relatively cheap, hence successful, and a global brand like BMW has to milk this cow. Hence turborcharged M SUVs, etc. Oh but wait, even Porsche and Maserati now have 4 door saloons and SUVs
If the problem of some M owners is seeing the M badge utilized on anything other than 100% M cars... how come no one complained (at least to my knowledge) about the M Sport package and accessories, which if I'm not mistaken already existed as far back as the E30 3 Series, much before BMW took off as a massively selling global brand? How come BMW puts M logos on the steering wheel, door sills, instruments panel, etc. of a mere 320d? Well it's normal, M has become THE synonym of sportiness in a BMW, because it would be a shame and a great marketing loss to reserve the M badge only to supercars
And again, if the M Sport exists with low range engines, the M Performance is that much more legitimate.
If the problem is specifically seeing the M logo on the TRUNK LID of the M Performance range (absent on the M Sport), then how about seeing things like this: BMW is itself a sporty premium brand (RWD, 50/50 mass...), offering many sporty models, so why not consider that the most sporty of them are worthy of the M badge? Not only the utmost raw and radical ///M cars (how many 0,..% of all BMW sales?) but also a few more downmarket versions which still offer great performance and styling compared to their stock versions. There are so many models in the BMW range now and so many yet to come (2 and 4 Series, X4...) that clearly labelling the most sporty with the M badge - not only the TOP supercar versions but a more large number of versions - kind of stratifies the range. And still, that would not thicken that much the crème de la crème layer of elite models on top of the range, as globally the percentage of cars wearing the M logo will remain relatively low compared to regular models. Keeping M closed to the most elitist versions (few in number) might seem good for the M image, but the benefits of such a strategy would be meagre in terms of image and finances. While associating the M logo with more downmarket models spills on them a lot of value which is good for the whole BMW brand, and only a little detrimental to M's image as seen by the (few in number) purists. And again, this doesn't mean making the M Performance look like the real M, which will always remain specific
And then if the logo is the issue, anyway anyone could buy an M logo directly from BMW then glue it on the hatch of their 116d... but BMW knows that a true M car is worth much more than this label.