The BMW M3 has gone to the snow to prove that it is ready to go on sale

In 2027 the new version of BMW M3 will arrive, and tests are already underway to validate the car’s capabilities on roads and tracks with snow and ice. It will be the first fully electric M version, and BMW says it will introduce new standards to be more efficient while offering the same experiences drivers are used to from an BMW M.

At the end of 2024, images appeared of a camouflaged prototype in the snow, testing that everything works as it should at the time of commercialisation. Apparently it is based on the Neue Klasse Series 3, which is expected to arrive in 2026. There are, however, quite clear differences, such as wider wheel arches and larger side skirts.

Apparently, the future electric BMW M3 will have four motors, one per wheel. This means it will differ from the electric BMW 3 Series, which will have one or two motors. The key revealed by this detail is the presence of the new ECU that BMW will use, designed to manage four electric motors. It can handle power of up to 1,341 CV. For now, the electric M3 is not expected to have that much power, so it will most likely be considerably limited.

The new BMW ECU combines controllers responsible for stability control, the powertrain, the battery and the chassis software in a single software unit. The Neue Klasse platform will be an important addition to BMW’s architecture, surpassing the M xDrive system used by the BMW M5.

We do not yet know the final name of the model, although it may be called iM3, since this name has been registered with the Patent Office.

It will be based on the Neue Klasse platform and will go on sale in 2027, the same year the Neue Klasse begins commercialisation. But it must be stressed that the M3 with a combustion engine will not disappear. Everything indicates that alongside this electric version, a petrol-engine version will also go on sale.

This engine would be a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder that has been reworked so it can meet the emissions requirements of the Euro 7 standard.