BMW M3 electric: This is it
12/12/2024 06:00 PM
Electric power is coming to the next BMW M3, alongside a new petrol version – and here is the first prototype in close-to-production bodywork.
The first photo of the next-generation electric BMW M3 – or BMW iM3 – has been published ahead of its expected showroom arrival in about three or four years from now.
Electric power will be the next major change in power source for the BMW M3, after four-cylinder, turbo and non-turbo six-cylinder, and V8 power over the past 38 years.
The electric M3 is set to be sold alongside a new generation of the twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol version due in 2028, as BMW hedges its bets amid a slowdown in demand for battery-powered cars.
Until now, the technology planned for BMW M’s first high-performance electric cars – rather than ‘halfway-house’ models like the i4 M50 and iX M60 – has been tested in a widened i4 body with M3 axles, bumpers and wheels.
The German giant has now revealed the first production-bodied – or close to production-bodied – prototype of its new electric sports sedan, in low-resolution photos posted on its website and social media.
The M3 EV will be based on the battery-powered i3 sedan, underpinned by BMW’s Neue Klasse dedicated electric-car platform with styling inspired by the 2023 Vision Neue Klasse concept.
Visible on the prototype are widened wheel arches to accommodate new wheels and tyres, pop-out door handles, and what are likely to be more aggressive bumpers under the camouflage.
Electric M cars are slated to be powered by four electric motors – one on each wheel – capable of 1000kW.
It would be the most powerful BMW M car ever, about double the brand’s current benchmark – and three times what the previous-generation F80 M3 produced in its high-grade Competition trim five years ago.
The petrol M3 will live on for another generation, codenamed G84, as the current G80-series model’s 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged ‘S58’ inline six-cylinder engine is planned to be upgraded for Euro 7 regulations.
Arrival timing for the new electric M3 is yet to be confirmed, but company insiders claim the petrol model is due to enter production in July 2028, after the regular next-generation petrol ‘G50’ 3 Series launches in November 2026.
Reports claim the electric BMW i3 is due at the same time – November 2026 – so the iM3 could arrive in 2028.
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