The electric BMW M3 will avoid the ‘i’ prefix used by the brand’s other electric models, with the boss of BMW’s high-performance M division confirming it will simply be badged ‘M3’ when it enters production in 2027.
According to Auto Express, Frank van Meel told media at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK the battery-electric version, which will be sold alongside an internal-combustion-powered M3, won’t wear a different name.
That’s despite the sedan it’s based on being called the i3, which had led to speculation the M3 EV would become the first ‘iM3’.
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Mr van Meel’s comments suggested electric versions of other M models, such as the M4 and the larger M5 sedan and Touring (wagon) will also retain their existing names.
It comes after BMW revealed the M Concept Neue Klasse at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June as a preview of the production version of the electric M3, which – while not officially confirmed – is expected to arrive in Australia in 2027.
The electric BMW M3 will be one of a growing number of vehicles on the dedicated electric Neue Klasse platform, which debuted in the new-generation iX3 SUV.
Unlike other Neue Klasse BMWs like the i3 and iX3, however, the electric M3 will feature a quad-motor electric powertrain.
BMW hasn’t confirmed outputs, with speculation it could have anywhere from 650hp (485kW) to potentially over 1000hp (746kW). That would mean it won’t be quite as extreme as the 860kW Mercedes-AMG GT four-door revealed in May 2026.
Yet that’s still more than the M3 sedan currently in Australian showrooms, which in base form produces 353kW and 550Nm from its ‘S58’ 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder petrol engine.
“It’s not about the horsepower. That’s a part of the game, but the preciseness of M cars, that’s what’s unique,” Christian Karg, BMW head of dynamics, told Auto Express.
“We test every car on the Nürburgring [race track in Germany], and you know there are challenges for BEVs in terms of sustaining high peak power output. How to manage that in the proper way, how to manage the weight, how to make the car feel still light-footed and like a BMW M car should.”
The electric M3 will be offered alongside the internal-combustion-engined model which, like the larger M5, is expected to adopt hybrid technology in its next generation – though it won’t be a plug-in hybrid.
The petrol and electric M3s will use different underpinnings from each other, designed to best suit their respective powertrains.
BMW has said the EV won’t cost much more than the petrol-hybrid M3, which in Australia currently starts at $169,600 before on-road costs.
Speaking to PistonHeads earlier this year, Mr van Meel said the current S58 engine meets upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations and confirmed more details of the next-generation M3 will be revealed later this year.
The BMW M boss also told CarExpert there are no plans to drop the manual transmission currently offered in the M3, despite its current power limitations and the lack of an upgraded replacement from BMW making its longer-term future less certain.