Hero car's future decided

BMW is preparing for the next generation of M high-performance models, with the brand looking to satisfy both traditionalists and electric vehicle fans.

Currently, full-fat M models remain internal combustion engine (ICE) models with some electrification, as is the case with plug-in hybrids the new M5 and the XM SUV.

Read More About BMW i Series

• ‘Don’t mess it up’: Critical electric SUV has to have broad appeal, but will the 2026 BMW iX3 design outclass the Audi SQ6, Mercedes-Benz GLC electric and more?
• V8 engines to live on! BMW says engine found in 2026 BMW X5 M and M5 will be around well into the next decade, and you can thank the United States for that
• Game-changing tech greenlit for BMW

These models feature high-tech computers dubbed ‘Superbrains’, a new level of connectivity and digital features, and in the case of the iX3 SUV and incoming i3 sedan, full electrification.

According to Head of BMW Neue Klasse, Mike Reichelt, the carmaker is readying a two-powertrain strategy for its future M cars.

“We prepare for the first M model of the Neue Klasse, but we know … there are many customers will love the M3 ICE, and maybe there are two offers,” he said.

BMW will launch the next Neue Klasse model, the all-electric i3 sedan, in 2026, and it will precede the ICE version of the next-generation 3 Series.

The company also previewed an electric M3 with the BMW Vision Driving Experience concept from this year’s Shanghai motor show.

With the iX3 launching in Australia in 2026, it’s expected that a performance focussed M version will follow, however BMW is yet to officially confirm it.

When asked if BMW X3 owners are as passionate about ICE powertrains as M3 drivers, Reichelt said:

“Maybe they feel today, no, but I'm absolutely sure when they drive the first M model of a Neue Klasse with a ‘Heart of Joy', with four engines on every wheel, and this power, they will love [it]. But then we have customers, who love to drive ICE and more, it's okay, then we get an M3 with an ice engine.”

Reichelt would not be drawn on an iX3 M, but said given the massive change with Neue Klasse models, and common parts, it would make sense.

“When we go on the M side in such a big step, and we have such a high number of common parts communality, it has a logic to say we have the technology, we have the cars, we combine it. But I can't… confirm it today, but it has a logic way.”

Meanwhile, BMW Board Member for Development, Joachim Post, said it was “feasible” to spin off a two-door sportscar from the Neue Klasse architecture.

“The philosophy of BMW also has been in the past to, we say ‘baukasten’. That means that we have communal parts for different types of cars in different segments. Electronics control units, for example, a battery cell, all these things are the same, but integrated in a different package.

“So for us as BMW, it's always core to think in that way, how we can develop a component that we can scale it in every of our cars. That's why we can be so fast to make now, this new technology, in two years, in 40 derivatives. That gives you the possibility to make scaling combinations, to make them feasible, to run from a business case, we will see what's coming up for future.”

The carmaker will have 40 derivatives of Neue Klasse in the coming three years, but not all of them will be full Neue Klasse models like the iX3 and i3. Some will just adopt the in-car tech and new design language, for example.