For all the talk of it getting fatter and less pure over the years, the BMW M3 remains a hallowed nameplate, one that continues to be talked about in (excited) reverence. As such, any talk of electrification is bound to scare enthusiasts, but a fully electric version of the benchmark super sedan has been a long time coming, and now BMW M has revealed the first fruits of its labour.
What you’re looking at is an early prototype of the first pure electric M3, based on the next-generation electric 3 Series, also known as the i3. This, in turn, was previewed by the Vision Neue Klasse concept that envisaged a bold reimagining of Munich’s bread-and-butter compact executive sedan – one that’s borne out by these images revealed on Instagram.
Looking far more compact than the existing G20 3 Series/G80 M3, the new car has a dramatically shorter dash-to-axle ratio and a more upright glasshouse, the latter bringing to mind the iconic 2002 and the original E21 3 Series. Also somewhat visible are the slim, full-width double kidney grille that integrate the headlights, banishing years of ever-taller nostrils.
On top of this, BMW M has added heavily-blistered wheel arches that give the M3 EV a four-square stance that the brand is known for. These house the wide wheel and tyre package and massive brakes that are essential to keeping the expected huge performance in check.
How huge? As previously reported, the car will have house four motors (one for each wheel) that are capable of delivering real torque vectoring and a scarcely believable sum total of 1 MW, or 1,341 PS – although it remains to be seen if the actual finished product will have anywhere near this much power.
What is clear is that the electric M3 will utilise a central computer known as the “Heart of Joy,” which will not only manage all four motors but also the braking and stability control intervention. This provides precise control of the car’s driving dynamics, helping to deliver greater agility to offset the weight gain expected from the switch to full electrification.
As for what it’s called, that hasn’t been confirmed yet, but BMW M CEO Franciscus van Meel hinted to Autocar that the car will continue to be called the M3 – pouring cold water to suggestions it will bear the “iM3” moniker. “Do we need to set them apart? An M3 is a promise, not an engine,” he told the publication.
Whatever name it ends up taking, the electric M3 is still a ways away, with a debut set for 2027 – about a year after the regular Neue Klasse sedan. And purists need not worry, because a petrol-powered version – still based on the current G80 and with the same 3.0 litre S58 twin-turbocharged straight-six, homologated for future emissions regulations – will continue to be sold for the foreseeable future.
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