October 13, 2026 – Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M, has publicly responded to Luxeed RX’s recreation of BMW’s classic drifting “wall-pass” advertisement, saying he welcomed the move and extended his respect to Chinese automakers.
The episode began on September 10, when Luxeed released a video showing the Luxeed RX drifting through a narrow archway, recreating the iconic stunt from BMW’s 2011 1M Coupe campaign. Zhao Changjiang, executive director of Luxeed Auto, reposted the video and tagged BMW China, writing, “Salute to an old friend in driving pleasure; technology defines new driving fun.” At the time, BMW’s official account did not respond, prompting online jokes that it had “read but not replied.”
In an interview with Sina Auto, Van Meel said driving pleasure is a shared pursuit across the auto industry. He welcomed new brands using extreme handling demonstrations such as drifting to express their understanding of driving fun, and said BMW returns the gesture with respect.
He noted that BMW accumulated decades of experience in vehicle dynamics during the fuel-engine era, while new energy brands are now investing more in chassis, electronic control and handling. He described this as a positive development for the industry, adding that driving pleasure is not the exclusive label of any single automaker and that different technical routes can explore their own forms of it.
On the growing number of Chinese automakers focusing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Van Meel said he was pleased to see more Chinese brands taking the circuit seriously, as it reflects the progress of China’s auto industry. He added that BMW M itself was born on the track and enjoys competition.
He further said BMW M was the first automaker to establish a research and testing center at the Nürburgring. For BMW M, the relationship with the Nordschleife is not just a one-off marketing opportunity, but a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership. He said BMW M welcomes more automakers to join what he called the “track family.”
