New quad-motor BMW M3 to pack 'crazy' dynamics

Performance EV will harness new chassis tech to deliver unparalleled driving thrills

-  FELIX PAGE

The long-mooted electric BMW M3, arriving in 2027, will use "crazy" chassis control software in an attempt to offer dynamic performance "far above" that of today's hot BMWs.

The electric M3 will be based on the firm's Neue Klasse (NK) platform and will arrive shortly after the next-generation, electric BMW 3 Series - as previewed by a radical concept at the Munich motor show earlier this month.

BMW development boss Frank Weber has given some early details of the model. "The next M3 will be battery-electric - full battery-electric," he said, but "there will be a coexistence" with the current petrol M3 for a period, "which is necessary". The S58 six-cylinder engine used by today's M3 is set to remain in production beyond 2030.

Giving clues as to what to expect from an electric M3, Weber said BMW's new "Heart of Joy' control unit, which will be used in all NK-based cars, will be instrumental in providing a distinct driving character for BMW performance EVs and helping to mitigate any loss of character from the absence of a powerful petrol engine.

"This is a controller that has taken the last 20 or 30 years of our experience into a control unit. Everything that is driving performance-related, chassis control-related, propulsion-[and] powertrain-related is now in one integrated control unit," he said. "It's almost the history of how you control a vehicle that is in that thing.