BMW M3’s electric future previewed
The BMW M3 is soon set to enter its electric era. This is what it’ll look like.
BMW is nearing the reveal of its production M3 EV, with its debut one step closer after the unveiling of the Concept M Neue Klasse at Le Mans.
Set to launch in 2027, the electric BMW M3 has been officially teased for the best part of 18 months, though we now have a much clearer picture of what it’ll look like.
Like the Neue Klasse concept-inspired i3 (the electric equivalent of the 3 Series), the Concept M Neue Klasse will almost certainly make production as the new M3, promising to be the fastest version of the nameplate ever.
Its bright red paintwork highlights the aggressive exterior, with a wide front end accentuated by huge air intakes and pumped-out wheel-arches.
The yellow headlight highlights are inspired not only by the BMW M Hybrid V8 Le Mans challenger but also previous CS and CSL BMWs, though the feature will soon become available on all future M cars.
Angular side lines lead to an equally staunch rear end, which features a low-mounted diffuser sits below the integrated ducktail spoiler on the bootlid, a design feature making its way onto more BMW performance cars, including the M2 CS.
While the wheels show hints of the M Style designs we’ve seen from BMW across the years, the way they’re bolted to the car is more like Porsche’s GT models, with centrelock wheel nuts on all four corners – coloured coded red and blue for anti-clockwise and clockwise threads.
The Concept M Neue Klasse also extensively uses BMW’s new natural fibres, with the flax-based lightweight components are not only as strong as carbon fibre, but also environmentally cleaner to make.
Inside the cabin features four seats, all of which are bucket-style to provide the most support possible for all occupants.
There’s a bit of Australian inspiration too as the Merino leather seat upholstery combination has been named Bathurst Blue and Berry Red, paying homage to the classic BMW M colours.
The steering wheel, door panels and roll bar are all upholstered in black nubuck leather, while the floating dashboard gets black knit material with M-specific hexagonal backlighting.
Previous reports have suggested the electric M3’s 800-volt, quad-motor platform will support power outputs of more than 750kW, making it not only BMW M’s most powerful production car ever, but also well clear of the current twin-turbo straight-six M3 Competition xDrive’s 390kW figure.
BMW M’s sales boss Sylvia Neubauer previously told the UK’s Autocar that the electric M3 will be similarly priced to the current M3, which itself is due to be replaced in the coming years.
The executive added that by offering both the iM3 and M3 as a part of its lineup, BMW will give potential buyers “the choice” as to which car suits them best.
“There will be functional differences that lead to a different design in some areas of the car, but when you look at them, you will see that they are twins
“Mainly it’s a high-performance target group [BMW M3 buyers. But within that high-performance target groups, you have those with more progressive all-electric mindsets and the ones that are diehard petrolheads who will stay in an ICE vehicle forever.
“But it’s always a BMW M. When we talk about the BMW M3, it’s the M3 no matter the drivetrain. The driving experience must be true, and you decide if you want EV or ICE.”
BMW has teased that the iM3 will feature fake gear shifts and a “newly developed soundscape”, similar to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (and now Ioniq 6 N).
While it didn’t say at the time what this soundscape would be, in a video uploaded to YouTube, BMW M showed its team recording engine sounds from three recent performance models, which will likely be piped into the EV’s cabin.
These include the E92 M3 GTS (powered by a 4.4-litre V8 engine), the F82 M4 GTS (powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six engine), and the E63 M6 (powered by a 5.0-litre V10).
