Note: This article features an M3 EV rendering from CarScoops that has not been endorsed by BMW.
If the idea of the next-generation BMW M3 hitting the market with four electric motors delivering upwards of 1,341 hp (1,000 kW) wasn’t enough to get you excited about the M division’s EV future, then perhaps the idea of a rear-wheel drive-only electric M3 will do the trick.
BMW has made no secret of the fact that the M3 will change dramatically in the EV era. The carmaker has shown it testing a quad-motor prototype on a handful of occasions and last month, BMW M chief executive Frank van Meel suggested that the new M3, based on the firm’s Neue Klasse platform, could deliver a 1,341 hp kick to the competition.
While speaking with Ars Technica in Lisbon, Portugal recently, van Meel added that the carmaker is also pondering the idea of a model with a rear-wheel drive layout and twin electric motors. While the boss of BMW M divulged few other details about this potential variant, such a version of the next-gen M3 could be ideal for customers focused more on handling dynamics than the straight-line speed provided by a quad-motor setup driving all four wheels.
Read: Electric 2027 BMW M3 Neue Klasse Confirmed, Will Coexist With ICE Version
Interestingly, BMW isn’t yet ready to turn its back on the ICE-powered M3. While discussing the electric model that could arrive as soon as 2027, van Meel said that the current car’s S58 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged six-cylinder will be made Euro 7-compliant, ensuring that it can still be used and sold alongside the electric alternative.
“It’s a nice engine, we will certainly make this Euro 7-capable and other things, so it’s going to happen. We will not have two different classes – there will be co-existence of the solutions in the market, which is necessary,” BMW’s product development chief, Frank Weber, noted.
BMW is preparing to launch its first Neue Klasse-based model in 2025. This new model will take the form of a 3-Series-sized sedan and be followed up by five further vehicles that BMW will introduce by 2027.
