Next BMW M3 could offer electric option – report
The next BMW M3 due in 2027 could be the first in the nameplate’s history to offer the option of electric power, a report suggests – but there’s still room for a turbocharged petrol engine to sit alongside it.
The next-generation BMW M3 sports sedan – slated to arrive in 2027 or 2028 – could offer its buyers a choice of petrol and electric power, a BMW executives has hinted in an overseas interview.
Speaking with German publication Auto Motor und Sport, BMW development boss Frank Weber hinted that versions of the next M3 could be the first to use electric motors and batteries exclusively – a contrast to the twin-turbocharged petrol inline-six powering today’s sports sedan icon.
A next-generation electric M3 would be made possible by the ‘Neue Klasse’ (translating to ‘new class’), a new platform being developed by BMW designed primarily for electric powertrains – slated for launch in 2025 beneath an all-electric companion to the next-generation 3 Series sedan, which is likely to retain the option of petrol, diesel and hybrid power.
“What the [electric motors] will be able to do may mean that you have to imagine the next M3 in a completely different way,” Weber told the publication.
“What we are bringing to the Neue Klasse with the modular electric drive system is fundamentally different from what we know today. But that also applies to all other modular systems [on board] … all of these modules are cross-architecture and can be adapted for all future vehicle concepts, regardless of the drive.”
However, while an electric M3 may be offered for the nameplate’s next generation, it appears there will still be room for a variant powered by petrol, with Weber indicating the electric, Neue Klasse-based BMW 3 Series will sit in showrooms alongside a model powered by internal combustion engines.
“I didn’t say that. It’s still too early for that,” the executive said, when asked if the next 3 Series will be electric-only.
“In 2025 there will still be many people who cannot drive an electric car because they do not have the necessary infrastructure. This will develop at very different speeds in the individual markets. But – and this is very important to me – we will not force our customers to choose between the new and the supposedly old. Our aim is to always offer the most sustainable and innovative vehicles, regardless of the type of drive.”
Weber’s remarks echo similar comments from BMW CEO Oliver Zipse in recent months, who cast skepticism on whether one, all-electric 3 Series would all worldwide markets: “There’s a time when you might have two offerings in that segment. When you make the decision to go on to only one architecture, you must look at the market volumes on a global scale.
“In some fully electric markets that might work. Globally, serving 140 markets, you might come to a different conclusion.”
It’s not certain what would power a petrol-powered version of the next-generation M3 (and likely M4).
Company insiders suggest the ‘S58’ 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six under the bonnet of the current ‘G80’ M3 and ‘G82/G83’ M4 will be upgraded to meet stringent Euro 7 emissions regulations due in 2025 – ensuring G80 M3 production can run until October 2025, or mid-to-late 2027 for the M4.
Production of this engine is slated to continue until July 2029, when the next-generation ‘G87’ M2 due later this year is discontinued. It could be a logical carry-over to the next M3 and M4, given the engine has already been engineered for the then-latest emissions rules – and new European regulations will effectively outlaw combustion engines by 2035.
However, BMW has committed to another generation of its petrol and diesel engines, including inline sixes – and each new M3 generation since the nameplate’s debut in 1986 has used a different engine to the car it replaces (S55 for the 2014-18 F80 M3, S65 for the 2007-13 E90 M3, etc).
Weber’s comments around the capabilities of electric motors also open the door to a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the next M3 – a strategy being adopted in the larger M5, which is slated to pair a twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor to help meet performance and emissions targets alike.
As per tradition, the performance offered by the new M3 would need to exceed that of its predecessor – suggesting outputs in excess of the current M3 Competition’s 375kW/650Nm, when fuelled with petrol.
BMW’s current mid-size performance electric car, the i4 M50, offers 400kW and 750Nm from dual electric motors – though this is technically an ‘M Performance’ model, which sits one rung below ‘high-performance’ M models like the M2, M3 and M4.
The German car maker has previously confirmed the Neue Klasse platform can support electric M models, the brand stating in early 2021: “The new generation of powertrains will be based on highly scalable modules capable of covering all market segments and Neue Klasse variants from high-volume series through to exclusive high-performance M models.”
Should the next BMW M3 offer a choice of pure petrol or electric power, it would represent a departure from its main Audi and Mercedes-AMG rivals, which are set to offer plug-in hybrid power for the next generations (due in 2022/2023), with the Audi offering an electric option.
Audi has committed to revealing its last new-generation petrol-powered car in 2025 – suggesting that the following generation of RS4 and RS5, due towards the end of the decade, would use electric power. Rival Mercedes-AMG has announced an ‘AMG.EA’ electric platform that will underpin certain electric AMG models from 2025 onwards.
Expect the next-generation BMW M3 to launch in late 2027, or sometime in 2028, given new versions of the M3 sedan and its M4 coupe sibling are typically revealed simultaneously – and production of the current-generation M4 coupe isn’t slated to end until June 2027. Stay tuned to Drive.
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