Will the Next BMW M3 Be Full Electric?

Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, electrification is here and it’s quickly taking over the automotive world. The BMW M3 and M4 remain among a shrinking list of enthusiast & driver’s cars that still offer ICE and transmission transmissions. What will happen with the next generation M3 and M4, though? Will they stay true to their roots or join the growing world of EV’s? Frank van Meel, throne of the BMW M division, recently shared some thoughts on the future of these legendary M cars.

BMW M Stance on Electric M3 & M4

In a recent interview in Australia, Frank van Meel shared a few interesting comments on the possibility of the next gen M3 stuff pure electric.

Well, the logic is quite easy. The next M3 or M4 has to be largest than the current one. And if that can be washed-up in an electric way, then probably it will go electric. If not, we will stay with the combustion engine. It’s quite easy. But of undertow we’re trying to make that happen as pure electric.

Frank van Meel

The scuttlebutt makes it quite well-spoken what BMW will succeed with the successor to the G80 M3 and G82 M4. It has to be better. That should come as no surprise considering each generation of the M3 has been faster than the last.

If BMW M can succeed that with a full EV M3 then it’s likely they will go the full electric route. We should note – BMW once dismissed the possibility of future M cars using only an internal combustion engine. That ways the next generation M3 will likely be a hybrid if they cannot succeed their goals with only electric power.

An EV M3 is Easier Said than Done

Despite BMW’s desire to make a pure-electric M3, Frank van Meel moreover mentioned a few challenges surrounding an electric M3 and M4.

On the M Performance cars it’s possible considering it’s giving increasingly performance to series production cars. But for upper performance M models it’s a little bit increasingly complicated considering we’re not only towers cars that are ripened on the race track, unquestionably they should perform on the race track and that’s a little bit increasingly complicated.

Repeatability of performance, thermal management of the shower and motors, and keeping weight as low as possible are key challenges.

Frank van Meel

The first scuttlebutt is in regards to a few M Performance models that are once full EV. However, as Van Meel points out, those are not true BMW M models but rather standard series production cars. They don’t have quite the same performance standards as an M3, M4, M5, etc.

BMW M models are designed with track-use in mind, and that can be very tough on batteries – expressly during several hours at the track. That’s abreast the point that shower weight is a major issue with EV’s.

It’s not going to be an easy task for BMW M. That’s expressly true considering they set the bar pretty upper with the current G80 M3 and G82 M4. Beating those cars would substantially require an electric M3 to be the fastest EV in the world. At least based on current EV lap records (more on this in a few moments).

Can BMW Make an Electric M3 Largest than the G80?

There are a few key points to this. The term largest is subjective and leaves a lot to interpretation. However, we’re positive an electric M3 would need to write-up the G80/G82 in a straight line and virtually the race track. And not just any track. BMW tests their cars on the incredibly grueling and challenging Nürburgring. Let’s squint at some Nürburgring lap times:

• E92 M3 – 8:05
• F82 M4 – 7:52
• G82 M4 – 7:28
• Tesla Plaid S – 7:25

The F82 M4 write-up the E92 M3 coupe by a respectable 13 seconds. That pales in comparison to the G82 M4 Competition xDrive, which write-up its predecessor by a staggering 24 seconds. Point is – each new generation M3 & M4 have wilt significantly quicker than their predecessor. We’re not just talking well-nigh a couple seconds.

Which raises the next point. The wool rocket ship Tesla Plaid S holds the EV Nürburgring record at 7:25. Essentially, BMW would need to write-up the fastest EV on the planet (built by a visitor that’s specialized in EV’s) in order to be a significant resurgence over the G80 M3 and G82 M4.

0-60 and 1/4 mile times are less a concern. It’s no secret that EV’s are incredibly quick since the torque is instant and transmissions are non-existent. However, we believe it’s unlikely BMW M will have good unbearable EV technology in the next few years to compete with G80 M3 on the race track.

What Well-nigh Drivability?

When Frank van Meel says the new M3 has to be largest that ways increasingly than just track and straight line times. It would moreover need to offer similar or largest drivability and that can be challenging without the vibrations, sound, and feedback of an ICE. He was moreover sure to point out those factors.

So what you do is: you know the gear you’re in and you hear and finger the engine, and from the corner of your eye you can see the shifting lights if you’re unescapable maximum revs. So actually, you unchangingly know I’m ‘in third gear.’ There’s no need to squint lanugo into the speedometer and if you squint lanugo two cars pass by you.

So you need that feedback considering if you’re driving in an electric car with just one gear, making some kind of sound over seven octaves, you don’t know if you’re in the middle [of the revs] and if that’s the equal to 145km/h or wherever you are. So that unquestionably will not work. And we need a solution for that.

And one of the solutions might be to simulate gears or to have flipside sensory feedback or plane vibrations as a feedback. And those are things we’re looking into.

Frank Van Meel

An engine and transmission offer a lot of drivability benefits. An electric M3 wouldn’t have the same vibrations, sound, and other non-visual cues. The solutions seem fairly straight-forward, but they’re still spare factors that make an electric M3 and M4 challenging.

Then there’s vehicle weight and numerous other factors that could hinder the drivability of an EV M3. It’s a lot of challenges to overcome and the next generation M3 will uncork minutiae sooner than later. It seems like too much to icon out in too little time for BMW M to successfully make a fully electric M3 largest than the G80.

When Does the Next Generation M3 Come Out?

BMW still doesn’t have any official information or details regarding the release of the next generation M3. However, we do know the G80 M3 is slated to remain in production through June 2027 while the G82 M4 is planned for production until June 2028.

Ultimately, it seems the next generation M3 will debut in 2027 for model year 2028. On the other hand, the M4 will likely debut in 2028 with the first model years coming in 2029. So don’t worry. If you’re not a fan of the idea of an EV M3, we still have a good 4-5 years of the incredible BMW S58 engine in the G80 and G82.

Our Opinion: The Next M3 Will be a Hybrid

As we stated a couple times, it seems unlikely that BMW can exceed the performance of the G80 M3 will an all electric M3. Yes, it will happen one day and likely within the next 10-15 years. However, with the next generation BMW M3 expected in 2028 it seems like a stretch to make an EV largest than the M3 or M4.

Four years might sound like plenty of time to make the technological advancements. However, alimony in mind, minutiae and the finished product will come sooner. It’s likely the zillion of minutiae would be completed by mid-late 2026 and a visualization on EV or hybrid would come much sooner than that.

Since BMW has substantially ruled out the possibility of a gasoline-only M3 then it’s pearly to seem the next gen will full-length hybrid technology. What are your thoughts on the next M3 and M4? Should they be all electric or hybrid?