The next-generation petrol-powered BMW M3 has been spotted testing ahead of its official reveal, which is expected in 2027 ahead of the all-new mid-size performance sedan’s release the following year.
The test mule was snapped by CarExpert photographers on the streets north of Munich in Germany, near BMW headquarters.
While it’s clearly not wearing a production-ready body, as evidenced by makeshift wheel-arch extensions wrapped around wider wheel tracks that deliver an aggressive stance, the heavily camouflaged test vehicle picture here has twin outboard exhaust outlets for a total of four, confirming its identity as an internal combustion engined (ICE) vehicle.
It looks similar to the wide-bodied electric M3 that was spotted testing earlier this year, but the first battery-powered version of the iconic German sports sedan lacked said exhaust outlets.
BMW has previously confirmed it will offer both a six-cylinder ICE-powered M3 and a battery-electric version of the iconic M-car, and is developing both vehicles simultaneously.
The electric version will be based on the automaker’s Neue Klasse chassis and electric architecture, which debuted with the new BMW iX3 mid-size electric SUV revealed last month and will be employed extensively across the BMW lineup.
The petrol-powered M3, meantime, will use a new platform underpinning the broader 3 Series lineup in 2027, and will almost certainly follow the larger BMW M5 in adopting a hybrid powertrain.
The current M5 arrived with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain sourced from the XM large SUV, which pairs BMW’s ‘S68’ 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor.
The M3’s hybrid powertrain is likely be a potent, hybridised version of the Bavarian brand’s ‘S58’ 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine that’s found in the current M3 sedan/wagon and M4 coupe.
“The six-cylinder inline engine is our legacy, and the V8 has got a long history in racing, so we intend to keep going,” BMW M CEO Frank van Meel told Autocar earlier this year.
The highest output the engine makes in current models is 405kW/650Nm in the M3 CS sedan and M3 CS Touring (wagon), with the sedan boasting a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.4 seconds.
The test car seen here also has massive brakes comprising cross-drilled front rotors, but what’s not clear is how many chassis components will be shared between the petrol and electric M3 models.
BMW showed what’s viewed as an electric M3 prototype earlier this year in the Vision Driving Experience concept car.
The aggressively styled two-door concept was powered by four electric motors which BMW claimed produce a staggering 18,000Nm of combined torque. Power output was not confirmed, but is expected to be as much as 746kW.
“We’re going to make it the best M-car ever dynamically”, Dr Mike Reichelt, head of BMW’s Neue Klasse division, told British magazine Top Gear.
“We’re also going to offer it with a new type of six-cylinder engine, because we understand it may be early for some committed M fans to make the switch. But we are convinced the fully electric M3 is going to hit new heights and reach new target groups, because it’ll behave completely differently.”