► BMW M goes electric
► EV sports car being tested
► Trialling quad motor setup
BMW engineers are preparing an all-electric M3, and our spy photographers have already snapped it testing. The new pictures show a prototype of the forthcoming, Neue Klasse-based super saloon driving in the snow before its full reveal – which could be late 2026.
The car pictured features the same mini-sharknose as the standard i3 we’ve seen testing, but larger bumpers, wheels and wheelarches betray its increased performance.
What do we know?
CAR understands the new M3 will be available with both ICE and EV powertrains, but we’ve already got details on the latter – despite its reveal being a year or so out. That’s because a recent YouTube series from BMW called ‘Electrified’ has confirmed key details about the car.
BMW’s M boss Frank Van Meel says exactly what you’d expect to begin with, stating; ‘it’s not about transforming, it’s about embracing new technology and to find out how to push to the limits of what is technically possible.’
The video then moves on to BMW’s Heart of Joy, a singular ECU that centralises all aspects of the car’s behaviour into one. First revealed alongside the Neue Klasse concept, it’s a black box that BMW believes will put it well ahead of the competition in driving pleasure.
However, the video’s most important soundbite comes from Carsten Wolf, head of Integration Vehicle Characteristics at BMW M, who says: ‘We will see the technical concepts that we are developing here, four electric motors, in all BMW M High Performance vehicles sometime in the future.’
‘What we are developing here is basically the powertrain and driving dynamics modular system that is crucial for the future of M GmbH’
Four motors
This information fits perfectly with a story CAR broke in early 2023. Back then our spy photographers snapped an i4 mule very much like the one shown in BMW’s latest video, and we paired it with information that suggested BMW’s high-performance EVs could make up around 1000bhp across both axles.
We’ll update this article when we know more.