BMW M’s electric future confirmed!

BMW has finally revealed initial details of its first fully electric M car and it will be a full-on performance sedan with simulated gear shifts and powertrain sound, brutal straight-line performance and decent driving range.

Based on the BMW i3 sedan that’s expected to be revealed in the coming months, the new electric M3 will be sold alongside a new-generation version of the internal combustion engine (ICE) M3.

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BMW has not yet uttered the name of the electric performance sedan, but expect something along the lines of ‘i3 M’. For now BMW is calling it the M Neue Klasse and it’s will hit showrooms from 2027.

Head of Project BMW M Neue Klasse, Philipp Brunn, talked up the significance of the new electric M models.

“So in a nutshell, the next generation of fully electric BMW M models will lead the way into the new era for high-performance cars. We will set a new benchmark regarding driving dynamics, performance and overall driving experience,” he said.

Based on BMW's multi-billion-dollar Neue Klasse architecture, the new electric M3 benefits from some of the innovations of the iX3 and coming i3, including a reduction in the complexity of the car’s electronic systems, making for “faster data transfer between the control units, leading to clear performance gains”, according to Brunn.

The ‘Heart of Joy’ - which is Neue Klasse’s central computing system that integrates the drivetrain and driving dynamics into one, rather than having separate algorithms for accelerating and braking - has been tailored for the specific needs of M customers, said Brunn.

“First, our fully electric models will feature four electric motors allowing fully independent and fast wheel control. Every wheel we can do whatever we like at very, very fast speed.

“Second, the car's overall output, horsepower, torque, acceleration will reach new heights, and therefore needs to be managed accordingly with such [an] important system. And finally, the overall system management will prioritise sustainable peak performance over efficiency and range, supporting driving excitement and track focus typical for BMW M models.”

That means the M version of the i3 will have a slightly lower electric driving range to the regular i3. That figure is yet to be confirmed but expect the regular i3 sedan to have EV range a little beyond the quoted figure for the iX3 50xDrive SUV, which is 805km.

“We have a precise control of torque and power of each wheel, so we can fully utilise the performance potential of our tyres. And this can be done on all friction surfaces, so from low friction to high friction, snow, rain and so on," Brunn continued.

“We can blend the torque between electro-hydraulic brakes and the e-motors. So we can, again, do whatever is necessary from braking or energy recovery. The energy recovery is possible to the limit of tyre friction, so we can, if we like or not, use recovery, or we can shift between brain and the motors, and the design is very compact, so we have high efficiency and also high power density, which also helps integrating the powerful motors into the car.”

Brunn added that M engineers had to “push the limits of the battery” used in the base Neue Klasse (a 108kWh lithium-ion battery pack housed under the floor with cylindrical cells).

Additional cooling, a different cell layout and slightly altered cells ensure “higher sustainable power, and faster charging compared to the other Neue Klasse models”, Brunn said.

Additional connections from the battery to the vehicle and the suspension system helps stiffen the vehicle in a bid to enhance vehicle dynamics.

The new M car will use a number of sustainable and lightweight materials, including a less carbon intensive version of carbon fibre.

To help keep the BMW M DNA alive, the M car will feature performance driving modes, synthetic gear shifting and BMW M specific sounds that also relate to the gear shifting.

The synthetic driving sound was revealed at the end of a BMW M Electrified Youtube video, from about 7:40.

The audio in the video reveals subtle burbling, and what sounds like a cross between a high-powered four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and a jet engine.

The significant investment into electric M opens the door to more models, with a full fat iX3 M expected to be the next candidate.

BMW is yet to officially announce that but Head of BMW Neue Klasse, Mike Reichelt, previously hinted it was on the cards.

“When we go on the M side in such a big step, and we have such a high number of common parts communality, it has a logic to say we have the technology, we have the cars, we combine it. But I can't… confirm it today, but it has a logic way,” he said at the iX3 reveal in September.