BMW is pressing ahead with an electric M3, but the combustion-engined version will not be retired. Fresh spy shots of the G84 M3, taken near the company's Nürburgring research and development centre, show a prototype wearing production LED headlights already seen on the regular i3 electric sedan.
The two cars will share BMW's Neue Klasse design language, yet they are fundamentally different machines beneath the surface. The electric M3 will use the dedicated Neue Klasse platform, while the petrol model rides on an updated version of today's CLAR architecture. That older structure accommodates a longer bonnet, needed to house a six-cylinder engine.
That engine is expected to be an evolution of the current S58 twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six, modified and almost certainly fitted with mild-hybrid assistance. A BMW M executive indicated as much at the M5 launch in 2024. Output should rise modestly above the 523hp produced by today's M3 Competition, though the car is unlikely to chase headline power figures.
BMW M has already previewed the electric model's lighting signature with the M Vision Neue Klasse concept, which featured M Yellow LEDs. The latest prototype is expected to display the same treatment after dark, even though its daytime lighting is carried over from the standard i3.
At a glance, the electric and petrol M3s will look similar, with subtly different proportions and details. Both adopt the Neue Klasse styling language, but only the M3 is expected to receive wider fenders and a bonnet scoop. The petrol car's visual aggression will be reserved for the full M model rather than its smaller sibling.
That sibling, the M350, is piling on pressure from within BMW's own range. Reports suggest the 3.0-litre inline six from the X3 M50 will be lifted from 393hp to around 437hp next year before finding its way into the M350 sedan. Prototypes have been seen with quad tailpipes, spaced further apart than the M3's arrangement, and BMW M boss Frank van Meel has hinted that a manual gearbox could remain on offer.
Enthusiasts who prefer the combustion M3 will need patience. The production electric M3 is expected to launch next year, but the petrol version is not due until 2028. For many BMW fans, that later car will still be considered the real M3, even as the electric model arrives first to establish the new generation.
The split strategy reflects BMW's broader approach to electrification. Rather than forcing its most famous performance badge to abandon combustion overnight, the company is developing two distinct M3s in parallel. The electric car will demonstrate the potential of the Neue Klasse platform, while the petrol model preserves the straight-six soundtrack and character that have defined the M3 for decades.
Both cars will be sold alongside each other for a period, giving buyers a genuine choice between battery power and a mild-hybrid six. The petrol M3's longer bonnet and CLAR underpinnings mark it as a bridge between BMW's past and its electric future, while the EV represents a clean-sheet design. The two are expected to share little beyond their silhouette and badging.
For now, the prototypes continue testing near the Nürburgring, where BMW has long developed its performance models. The electric M3 will arrive first, but the combustion version's later debut ensures the straight-six M3 will survive well into the next decade.