Next-Gen BMW M3 And M4 May Not Go Electric After All

Jul. 19, 2023 6:49 PM ET byJarryd Neves Sports Cars /6 Comments

They may go electric eventually, but there's a chance a combustion engine may power the next generation.

BMW M representatives have previously suggested the next generationM3andM4will be pure electric vehicles, but according to M CEO Frank van Meel, a decision is yet to be made.

Speaking to Australia'sDrive, van Meel said that while an all-electric M3/M4 is still under consideration, BMW M would only introduce such a thing if it was a significant improvement over the existing models. "Well, the logic is quite easy. The next [M3 and M4] has to be better than the current one. And if that can be done in an electric way, then probably it will go electric," he said.

"If not, we will stay with [the] combustion engine. It's pretty easy. But, of course, we're trying to make that happen as pure electric. Don't expect an electric version to be sold alongside an ICE-powered variant or a plug-in hybrid model. "Well, I don't think all three. That will be too far, said van Meel.

"Actually, we would like to offer just one. But you never know," he added.

Last year, van Meel shared a similar sentiment withCarBuzz, noting that an electric M3 would have to bebetter than the existing model. "The current one is [...] leading the pack, so it's quite a challenge to be better than that one."

It will be challenging for BMW M to move to electric vehicles. High-end EVs typically have quick acceleration, but an M car is about so much more than that. BMW's performance vehicles have a special feeling that makes them exciting to drive, and an electric M car will need to retain that. "When we're thinking about an M high-performance electric car, you want to see the M characteristic," explained BMW M's Head of Development, Dirk Hacker, earlier this year.

We expect the first fully-electricM car to arrive in 2027, but there's no word yet on what form it will take.

Of course, BMW M is already working hard on creating a performance EV. The subsidiary has already filed patents foran advanced active differential, and we've already seen the electricquad-motor prototype out testing. With a reported 1,341 horsepower, it should be a hoot to drive, especially if it's capable ofthe four-wheel standing donutBMW teased.

There are many things for BMW M to weigh up, though. M car drivers are traditional and demand that their cars drive and sound a certain way. M boss van Meel admitted some customers have said they will leave the brand if the V8 dies. "But that's okay; I respect that," he said. However, the more significant majority doesn't care what powertrain direction BMW M takes with its cars as long as they still feel how they should.

"They will be so groundbreaking you will say: 'This is crazy. I didn't see that coming,'" said van Meel previously.