At this point, there is little doubt about the electrification of the next BMW M models. The question is what degree of electrification will each other have. We know that the next M2 Coupé will be the last car in the M division to have only a combustion engine, then they will start to have hybrid systems with electric support. BMW M boss Frank van Meel has spoken about the future of the BMW M3 and has left the door to a total electrification.
The history of the BMW M3 began with an in-line four-cylinder engine, added two more cylinders in the next two generations and went on to mount a V8 in the E92 generation, before moving again to a six-cylinder engine, this time turbocharged. . In the current model, the 3.0 inline six-cylinder engine delivers 510 hp and a whopping 650 Nm of torque. In its next generation it will have an electrified system, and we cannot rule out that it is a fully electric M3, according to the declarations of Frank van Meel to the colleagues of Autocar.
The head of BMW M has given the first clues about the brand’s priorities for its future cars, and specifically about the M3: “Maybe it will become electric, but if it does, it will always be an M3. Whatever the powertrain, you can always drive our cars and know they are M cars.”
From the statements of the head of BMW M, it seems that the brand is not concerned about its sports cars becoming electric, and neither are most of its customers. Frank van Meel acknowledges that some customers will leave the brand if they don’t make V8s, a decision he respects, says the manager. But he claims that after talking to customers, “90-95% don’t care” which direction they take on propellant type and will accept an electrified thruster. “They just want an M car.”
To add a further touch of enigma to the matter, Frank van Meel has assured that he would “love” to see electrified BMW M models in the future, hybrids and pure electric. Whatever type they are, he says that the electrified M will be “crazy” that customers won’t even see coming. Undoubtedly, this gives us a glimpse of performance far superior to that of the current model.
BMW’s M division is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with an important array of new features: the brand this year presented the BMW M4 CSL, the first BMW M3 Touring in history and its first racing car in more than two decades, the BMW M Hybrid V8 (LMDh). Besides of colossal BMW XMthe first plug-in hybrid with the M seal. They will also launch their last non-hybrid car, the upcoming M2 Coupé, before opening up to the new electrified era.
In this new era we will see the Most powerful BMW M5 in historywhich will have a system plug-in hybrid derived from the one carried by the BMW XM. Thanks to the combination of a 4.4-liter V8 biturbo engine and a pair of electric motors, in addition to the corresponding high-voltage battery, the next BMW M5 will be around 750 hp and have 1,000 Nm of torque. Its launch is scheduled for 2024.
At this point, a question should be asked: When will the first electrified BMW M3 arrive? Taking into account that the current M3 was launched in 2020 and has been updated recently, the life cycle of the current M3 should go smoothly until at least 2025. That year will see the revolution in BMW with the Neue Klasse, which will surely give life to an M3 under the new platform not much later than 2025.
