The BMW M3 is going electric! And there’s a good chance you’re kind of intrigued by that, but also disappointed. That’s how we feel. We want to give new tech a chance – hey, the M3 has switched from four, to six, and eight cylinders over the years, and is even available as an all-wheel drive, automatic wagon these days, and we’ve enjoyed all of them. But we’re not ready for the gas-powered M3 to go just yet. The good news is, neither is BMW.
Another round of spy shots landed on our desk this week, reminding us that while BMW is talking up the new electric M3, the combustion version will live on. Compared with earlier prototypes, this one has the production LEDs we’ve already seen fully revealed on the regular i3 sedan. But we’re expecting M Yellow LEDs to appear when the sun drops, something BMW M showcased on this year’s M Vision Neue Klasse M3 concept.
Related: BMW’s Next M3 Loses Its Grille But Keeps Its Six, And Maybe The Clutch Too
At a glance, electric and gas powered M3s will look similar, but with subtly different proportions and details. Both get BMW’s Neue Klasse design language, though they’ll be radically different under the skin. While the EV gets the NK platform, the gas car rides on an updated version of today’s CLAR architecture and has a longer hood to accommodate a six-cylinder engine.
That engine is essentially today’s S58 twin-turbo 3.0-liter six, but modified, almost certainly with mild-hybrid assistance. That’s what we he heard from a BMW M exec at the M5 launch back in 2024. We expect a modest boost from the 523 hp (530 PS) served up by today’s M3 Competition, but it won’t be winning any power wars.
M350 Piles On The Pressure
Except the internal power war with its M Performance M350 little brother, that is. Though the M350 is certainly turning up the heat, if rumors are true. BimmerToday claims to have intel suggesting the X3 M50’s 3.0-liter inline six will jump from 393 hp (398 PS) to a beefy 437 hp (443 PS) next year, and will then find its way into the M350 sedan. It could even have 3-style quad tailpipes (though spaced further apart), judging from prototypes we’ve seen, though only the M3 will get fatter fenders and a hood scoop. It may even keep a manual option, BMW M boss Frank Van Meel hinted.
If you do like the idea of a gas M3, you’re going to have to be patient. The production M3 EV is expected to launch next year, but it’ll be 2028 before we get to meet what many BMW fans will still consider the real thing.
