Electric BMW M3: Everything We Know

BMW’s development head, Frank Weber, confirmed, “the next M3 will be battery-electric — full battery electric.”

BMW M3 Electric Rendering

Ty Duffy

By: Ty Duffy

Jul 23, 2024 at 4:00pm ET

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The automotive world — at least in fits and starts —is going electric. That means that, over the next several years, automakers will reinterpret their combustion performance icons for a brave new battery-powered world. Porsche’s next 718 will be an EV. Ditto for Alfa Romeo’s future Giulia Quadrifoglio. And BMW’s development head, Frank Weber, confirmed, “the next M3 will be battery-electric — full battery electric.”

The M3’s switch to EV won’t be cold turkey. Weber also noted there will be a “coexistence” with the inline-six-powered combustion M3, which could have a production run into the 2030s; BMW has not pledged to be all-electric by that point. However, the future of M3 performance will be battery-electric. Judging from BMW’s preliminary comments, it could be wild.

What will the electric BMW M3 be called?

BMW has not yet confirmed the name of the car. We know BMW is nixing the “i” suffix from combustion vehicles to eliminate confusion with the “i” prefix for EVs. BMW did file a trademark application for iM3, but BMW M CEO Frank van Meel explicitly noted that the brand would never put “i” on M car.

Judging from BMW’s previous adventures in EV naming, expect BMW to keep M3 in the name. And expect that name to be simple and straightforward (M3 EV? M3 Electric) before transitioning eventually to just being “the M3.”

Gallery: BMW M3 Electric Rendering

BMW M3 Electric Rendering

What will the electric BMW M3 look like?

BMW has presented its Neue Klasse cars in concept form with the Vision Neue Klasse and Neue Klasse X concepts. Those concepts suggest a refreshing, back-to-basics design approach for the next generation of vehicles—basically the opposite of what happened with the XM.

The electric 3 Series should be a simple three-box sedan. Expect clean lines and some characteristic BMW design elements, like the Hofmeister kink. The concepts seem to herald the end of the mega kidney-grille era. The Neue Klasse X used a smaller, vertically oriented and illuminated kidney grille. The electric M3 will likely be a sportier-looking and more aggressive version of that electric 3 Series.

The new EV-only platform should allow the electric M3 to offer ample cabin space. BMW’s new energy-dense (and less costly) cylindrical battery cells should offer more efficient packaging and permit a lower ride height than current BMW EVs.

What will power the electric BMW M3?

BMW has revealed some info about the Neue Klasse platform. We know it will use an 800V architecture. BMW says its sixth-generation eDrive system will offer about 30% more range and 30% faster charging while being 25% more efficient. Weber has noted the potential to provide up to 1 megawatt of power (1,341 horsepower) with a quad-motor system. BMW has also been spotted testing a quad-motor system for future electric M cars.

Of course, what BMW can achieve technically and what BMW can deliver for production are two different questions. So don’t bank on the electric M3 packing more than twice the oomph of the current M3 Competition. The electric M3 should be all-wheel drive but with the ability to shift dynamics to a more classic rear-wheel drive mode like the M5. Weber told CarSales that the electric M3 will have “settings where you can go deeper into something that is more and more rear-wheel drive-biased.”

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When will the electric BMW M3 arrive?

BMW has not yet confirmed a timeline for the yet. But 2027 is the current best guess. BMW is expected to debut the Neue Klasse platform with the iX3 crossover, which will enter production in late 2025. The electric 3 Series sedan, expected to be called the i3, should follow in 2026. Weber said the electric M3 would follow “early and close to the SOP (start of production) of the core model.”

How much will the electric M3 cost?

BMW has not announced pricing info for the electric M3 yet, and 2027 is some ways off. But we can use some deductive reasoning. The iX M60 costs over $20,000 more than the combustion X5 M60i while offering more power and performance. The current combustion M3 ranges from $76,000 to $85,300. If BMW follows a similar pattern with electric 3 Series pricing, we could see a dual-motor i3 with similar power start around the price of a current M3, with the more powerful electric M3 starting around $100,000.