Expected for 2026 or 2027, the first fully electric high-performance vehicle from BMW’s in-house sports department according to Frank van MeelCEO of the Mdi BMW division, “it will be better than anything you have ever seen“.
This vehicle, essentially the electric M3, will share the platform of the Neue Klasse, but will boast four electric motors and software designed to offer true supercar performance.
Frank Weber, BMW’s head of engineering and research and development, has already indicated that the car could achieve a power of approximately 1,000 kW. The new drive system and vehicle dynamics control unit, developed in-house by BMW for the Neue Klasse platform, are capable of simultaneously controlling up to four electric motors and various dynamic functions. The M team plans to take full advantage of this capability, as Van Meel states: “With a four-motor concept, we are developing a system that can manage both the chassis and the drivetrain with one central logic.”
The goal is to use the technology of four electric motors to create a high-performance car very high performance, with exceptional driving dynamics and handling that Van Meel describes as “neutral, linear and predictable“. BMW does not intend to use the four-motor powertrain for particular solutions such as rotation in place, present in some recent models such as the electric G-Class. The electric motors will be equipped with a sophisticated cooling system, in order to be able to continuously produce high levels of power and torque.
This car will have yes an 800V architecture which will allow very short charging times and promises to become the car of the M line with thebest acceleration ever: we talk less about 3 seconds for 0-100 km/h.
Van Meel says this BMW EV will have different battery chemistry and cooling system than standard Neue Klasse models, to ensure the battery pack can continuously supply power to the motors without overheating or losing performance.
Furthermore, in addition to the 4-engine version, one is also being considered twin-engine variant (on the same axle) with rear-wheel drive, ready to share all of BMW’s improved hardware and software, but which would offer a different driving experience. A simple calculation suggests that the rear-wheel drive model could boast around 500 kW.
The electric cars of the M line will certainly make themselves known for their extraordinary performance and handling, the only doubt is whether all this is enough to convince the wary hearts of fans of BMW’s sports line. Frank van Meel he doesn’t appear worried from current disappointing sales of high-performance EVs like the Rimac Nevera and Lotus Evija: “I just don’t think a truly convincing product has been made yet“, he declares.
