BMW is preparing an electric M3, with production expected next year on a new platform. The gas one is not going away, and a combustion M3 is lined up behind it for 2028.
Two M3s, two completely different ideas of what the badge means, sold at the same time.
What each one is
The electric car is the headline, and BMW has been talking it up for a while. It moves onto a dedicated electric architecture rather than adapting the current car, and BMW has already shown what it will look like. The M Concept Neue Klasse, revealed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is the company's own preview of the car, with four electric motors and a trimaran-style front apron carrying three-dimensional Track Lights in its outer sections.
The combustion version is the more interesting story for enthusiasts. It is expected to be essentially today's S58, the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that has powered the M3 since 2021, modified and almost certainly given mild-hybrid assistance. The current M3 Competition makes 523 hp, and a modest increase is expected without a figure attached yet.
Frank van Meel, who runs BMW M, has hinted the gas car may even keep a manual option, which would make it one of the last performance sedans offering one.
Worth being precise about the status. The electric M3 is the confirmed part. The combustion car is supported by prototype sightings and by BMW's own unwillingness to let the engine go, rather than by a formal announcement.
Why run both
Buyers at the cheaper end have taken to electric cars quickly, while the people spending the most keep asking for engines, which is the argument Audi's chief executive made about his own range.
An M3 sits exactly on that line. It is quick enough that electric power makes obvious sense, and it is bought by people who care about noise, response, and the act of driving, which is the part electric cars still struggle to sell.
Running both is expensive and awkward, and it is probably the correct answer. Porsche reached a similar conclusion when it promised to keep building manuals as long as it legally can.
The design problem underneath
There is a looks question here that BMW has not solved yet. An electric M3 has no engine to package and no radiator demands, so the proportions that make an M3 look like an M3, the long hood and the wide, low nose, stop being structural requirements and become decoration.
The next 3 Series will show which direction BMW is taking first.
Sources:
Both M3 variants, the S58 plan, timing, and van Meel's manual comment: Carscoops
BMW M's reasoning on an electric M3: BMWBLOG
The M Concept Neue Klasse world premiere and its design: BMW Group PressClub
Frequently Asked Questions
Cam Walsh has been obsessing over cars since before he could drive one. Based out of Atlanta, Cam covers automotive design, car culture, and the eternal debate over which whips actually look the part.
