Next-generation BMW M3 will be getting a fully-electric powertrain

BMW is set to launch an all-electric M3 super-saloon alongside a hybrid-petrol model in 2028. The German firm’s M Division has also confirmed that the EV, possibly to be called iM3, will deliver more driver feedback than other high-performance electric cars.

BMW M Division boss Frank van Meel revealed the performance branch of the company is looking at technology to involve the driver more. He said: “If you have just one gear and you have no feedback at all, you don’t know how fast you are going and you cannot look down at the speed.

“You should always know how fast you are going, and that’s missing if you have no acoustic feedback and no haptic feedback. We are looking into different ways of giving you that.”

Part of this will involve using a simulated gearchange like that seen on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. It’s likely the EV M3 will use four electric motors, one for each wheel, so the car can deliver the same dynamic driving experience as the petrol-hybrid model.

The EV M3 is set to weigh between 400kg and 500kg more than the hybrid version, but the petrol-hybrid model is also tipped to be the lightest M3 since the CSL of the early 2000s. That points towards a 1500kg kerbweight for the petrol-hybrid M3 saloon, and sub-2000kg weight for the EV version.

BMW has tested a four-motor set-up already, and development boss Frank Weber has confirmed this can produce up to 1,341bhp. However, the iM3 is likely to have a detuned system with enough power to offset its extra weight over the petrol-hybrid and match its performance.

The petrol-hybrid model will have a new Euro 7-compliant engine, and BMW says it won’t go down the route of smaller capacity units, as Mercedes has with its 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid C63 AMG.

The styling of the two M3 models should be very similar, as BMW has developed an all-new cooling system for the petrol-hybrid model that is more efficient and lighter. This should mean fewer air vents are needed in the front bumper, so it will look much the same as the EV model. 

Both are expected to take their overall styling cues from the Neue Klasse 3 Series saloon, but with wider M Division wheelarches and a much deeper rear diffuser.