2027 BMW M3 – everything we know about M’s Audi RS5 rival
The electric version of the next-generation BMW M3 is now officially coming in 2027, leading the way for a new era of M cars. Now we know how it will sound
A new M3 is always a crucial model for BMW but the next-generation 2027 model will be little short of pivotal. The badge will for the first time be offered on effectively two distinct cars at the same time. The first will be an EV on a bespoke high-performance electric platform. The second will be a combustion model that will very much be a version of the M3 we know and love today, with an upgraded engine to drag it into Euro 7 emissions rules compliance and a styling makeover in line with BMW’s Neue Klasse transformation.
Really though, it’s the EV that will be a true new class of M3 – M’s first full performance electric car. Here’s everything we know so far.
Next BMW M3 – Power, performance and tech
Our best preview of the model yet came in the form of BMW’s M Concept Neue Klasse. Wind back the steroidal arches by about 30 per cent and get rid of the harness belts and rear bucket seats on the inside, and it pretty much would be the JA1 BMW M3.
Technologically though, there’s not a huge amount to distinguish the concept from the real thing that’s set to arrive next year. It’ll feature four electric motors (each with its own single-speed transmission), be good for at least 650bhp and 811lb ft of torque, utilise an 800-volt electrical architecture and BMW’s latest cylindrical-cell battery tech. No precise battery size is known yet, but the i3 is offered with a 108.7kW (usable) battery. It’s possible BMW M could have elected to reduce that size to the end of reducing weight.
It’ll also feature next-generation cooling and motor tech and at least match the i3’s 400kW charge speed capability. Range (and not to mention traditional driftability) will be aided by the new M3’s ability to disconnect the front axle.
More power is possible (BMW M tested outputs up to 1341bhp in its Vision Driving Experience and i4-based mules) but not a priority for M, according to CEO Frank van Meel who says ‘power is nothing without control’. That’s also why there are four motors to deliver its potency, for as much independent wheel and power distribution control as possible. This, along with the rest of the car’s dynamic characteristics, including damping, braking and so on, will be managed in concert by BMW M’s ‘Heart of Joy’ central computer system.
Processing data ten times faster than before and incorporating acceleration, braking, stabilisation and steering inputs in one central ‘brain’, it'll be significantly more capable than any collective of processing units before it. Not only does this mean it can theoretically manage ludicrous power levels much more effectively, it also helps make cars safer and more efficient in normal road conditions. The electric platform will afford some aerodynamic freedoms that you’d otherwise struggle with in a combustion sports saloon, with the M3 EV expected to feature some trick underbody aero and an S-duct at the front.
Next BMW M3 – V10 sound and virtual gears
BMW will go all in on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N-style novelties too, with simulated sounds and yes, gearshifts, controllable via paddles on the steering wheel. In a recent development update, BMW revealed it has been taking sound recordings directly from some of its most iconic cars of the past in order to inject more M character into this new EV. The S65 V8-powered E92 M3 GTS, V10-powered E64 M6 Cabriolet and S55 straight-six-powered F82 M4 GTS are the three it opted for, and in a brief teaser clip, the V10 sounds of the M6 are clear to hear from within its cabin. BMW says it will mix this engine audio with the authentic sound of the electric motors.
BMW’s been testing the car extensively at the Nürburgring. Achieving a record-breaking lap time with this new car would be a great way to kickstart its market launch, but it has a very high bar to meet. In order to break the electric executive car record it would need to beat the 1500bhp Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and its 7:04.957 lap, a time quicker than that set by the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS...
2027 BMW M3 – EV, ICE and Touring
Though BMW did patent the ‘iM3’ name (causing quite a stir in the process) it’s now been suggested the production car will not take this name.
A next-generation combustion M3 is known to be in the works, with the car set to use an updated version of the current CLAR architecture and S58 engine. The six-cylinder engine will receive BMW’s new pre-chamber combustion system in order to reduce emissions and keep the model in compliance.
BMW has been seen to be testing the Touring variant of the new i3, as well as sleeker i4 variants, including perhaps surprisingly, a cabriolet. That opens the door for electric M3 Touring and M4 variants in the future too. Given the success of the current M3 Touring, expect a next-generation combustion M3 Touring to be offered.
Market sentiments for expensive electric cars have cooled over the last couple of years and we’ve not yet seen an electric performance model successfully integrated as an outright replacement for an outgoing ICE model. That the next M3 will be a two-pronged, two-solution model, ought to save BMW a few blushes and offers an interesting ‘this or that’ alternative to Audi, which has chosen to go for one big battery, big engine plug-in-hybrid solution for its M3 rivalling RS5 and indeed, the next-generation RS6.
