- BMW’s Neue Klasse M Concept is the clearest preview yet of the production electric M3.
- BMW kept specs quiet, but the concept shows the EV M3’s wider body, aero and cabin direction.
- The electric M3 will use a 100+ kWh battery, M-specific cells, and a quad-motor setup with advanced torque vectoring.
BMW knows that a lot is riding on the shoulders of its first true electric M car, the hot version of the recently revealed i3 sedan. We likely won’t see it until 2027, but the Neue Klasse M Concept offers the best idea yet of what it might look like.
Unfortunately, BMW seems to have deliberately kept the specs under wraps for this concept, which comes accompanied by exactly zero technical details. It won’t even say how close this is to the production car’s body, but it looks a lot like one of the more recently spied camouflaged prototypes. There was also a leak a few months back revealing the front of the electric M3, and it’s a dead ringer for the new study.
But even without specs or BMW saying exactly how much of it reflects the series model, the concept still reveals a lot. The body looks like the regular i3 but with blistered arches—typical M car treatment—which completely change the stance and seriously dial up the aggression. It has a V-shaped hood with an air outlet to cool the front motors, and its shark nose design is even meaner-looking than on the standard i3.
It features racing-inspired yellow daytime running lights, a large front splitter complemented by a massive diffuser in the back, and a new take on BMW’s iconic M-style mirrors, and they look like they belong on an Italian supercar like a Pagani. The exact mirrors shown on the concept won’t make it to production, but they give us an idea of what to expect from the more toned-down series design.
It also features a pretty aggressive ducktail spoiler integrated into the trunk lid. This won’t make production initially, but it shows what a future electric M3 CS could look like. The series model will also feature regular door handles. If the concept’s body is any indication, the production model will also have unique rear doors to go with the bulging wheel arches, something which the current combustion M3 doesn’t have and has been criticized for.
The concept’s stunning Monza Red metallic paint could be available on production models, but its center-lock wheels won’t be.
Inside, the M concept looks a lot like the regular i3, with some notable differences. Firstly, the steering wheel, which has an additional set of four red buttons on top. We know what the M1 and M2 buttons do (they let you switch between two previously saved configurations), but the functions of the other two buttons remain a mystery.
The steering wheel, which otherwise looks like the M Sport helm on the iX3 I recently drove, also has paddles behind it labeled “plus” and “minus”. We’re still not sure if you will be able to shift pretend gears in the production M3 EV, but those paddles will definitely do something that you can’t do in the regular i3 sedan.
The only technical detail that BMW let slip in the press release is that the M3 EV will feature M-specific cylindrical cells and a battery with over 100 kilowatt-hours of capacity. The regular i3 has a large-for-its-size 108.7 kWh battery, which gives it a WLTP range of 560 miles (900 km), which should translate to a 440-mile EPA rating.
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Source: BMW
So this is our best look yet at the production M3 EV, which is expected to be fully revealed in 2027 with a monster quad-motor powertrain that should make it a hoot to drive. This new concept is far closer to the series model than the Vision Driving Experience (VDX), which was much more extreme and closer to a real concept. But the fact that this new study has most of the production i3’s interior hints that it’s not far from what you will be able to buy next year.
The fact that BMW has chosen Le Mans as the venue to unveil the new concept is a statement. It may be electric, but BMW wants to show it off at one of the world’s most famous racing tracks to make it clear that M cars still belong in the paddock, even if they are powered by electricity. According to BMW Blog, the electric M3 has to undergo 5,000 miles of Nurburgring testing before it’s approved, so revealing this close-to-production concept at Le Mans is fitting.