SPIED: 800-Horsepower BMW M3 EV Looks Angrier Than Ever

It’s been a while since we last spied the first-ever electric BMW M3, and since then, the “regular” i3 sedan has been revealed with 463 horsepower and divisive looks. The electric M3 will be much more powerful and possibly even more controversial, and the Autoblog spies have captured a nearly production-ready prototype on the road with more of the final design revealed than ever before. Production headlights and taillights have been fitted; we can see the shapes of the bodywork more clearly, and the hood shows evidence of a vent. Let’s take a closer peek.

2028 BMW M3 EV Starts to Undress

View the 2 images of this gallery on the
original article

The front fascia reveals headlights similar to those of the new i3 sedan, though we suspect that the graphics between each cluster may be changed slightly. As long as the vertical coffin-shaped grilles of today’s G80 M3 are not mimicked, this should be a handsome face. Lower down, the production bumper is yet to be fitted, so there’s no point speculating, but further up, the so-called valley in the middle of the hood appears to have sprouted a vent. The regular i3 already has a tiny frunk, only good for housing a charging cable, so it appears the performance-focused M3 may use this space for an aerodynamic advantage. Moving down the body, the wing mirrors don’t appear to be anything special (though the pre-production placeholder bumpers mean these may change), but the large brake discs are clamped down on by gold-colored calipers, which usually indicate carbon-ceramics. The wheels are pretty spicy, too.

Further back, the rear fender bulges, but disappointingly, this muscularity is not transferred to the rear doors. Like the current M3, it appears the next-gen electric M3 will use the regular 3er’s rear doors to save costs. At the rear, the trunk is topped by a subtle lip spoiler, below which the taillights seem to be more racy than the i3’s, with a smoked effect. The rear bumper is specific to development mules, so we’ll have to wait for BMW to fit the real thing before we can get an idea of how the M3 EV will stand apart from the i3 here. What about performance?

Electric BMW M3 Likely to Have Over 800 HP

View the 3 images of this gallery on the
original article

With the normal electric 3 Series producing nearly as much power as today’s combustion M3 (non-Competition M3s make 473 hp), the electric M will have to be exceptionally potent, and its quad-motor powertrain is reportedly set to make as much as 800 hp, with more in reserve so that BMW can stay abreast of its rivals in the horsepower wars. We’ll have to wait a while for these estimates to be officially confirmed or denied, however, as the M3 EV (or iM3, even) is only predicted to arrive around the middle of next year, meaning it will debut for the 2028 model year. As we draw closer to those dates, and with the normal i3 already unveiled, more details will start to trickle out of Bavaria before long. Happily, the combustion-powered 3er is also preparing to debut, and it will be joined by a mild-hybrid M3, too. Stay tuned.