See BMW Punish The Electric M3 Prototype On The Track
Article Summary
- The M3 ZA0 is already wearing production-spec body panels beneath the camouflage, including a vented hood and a split ducktail spoiler.
- An electric motor powers each wheel, enabling all-wheel drive with a dedicated rear-wheel-drive mode.
- The next M3 will break cover in 2027, with BMW also expected to revive the X3 M as a high-performance electric crossover.
We’ll never get tired of watching prototypes of the electric M3 at the Green Hell. Well, at least until the wraps come off sometime next year. In the meantime, BMW still has plenty of time to fine-tune its first full-fledged M car without a combustion engine. Although it’s fully cloaked in camouflage, we already have a good idea of what’s hiding beneath the disguise.
The performance EV will follow the M Concept Neue Klasse we saw recently at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. BMW has already told us the production-ready M3 (ZA0) will be cut from the same cloth, and it’s easy to see the similarities between this test car and the concept. We can already spot the V-shaped air outlets in the hood, because yes, electric cars need cooling, too.
The massive front air intakes in the bumper are a telltale sign that this is something far more exciting than the standard i3 (NA0). As you’d expect from a true M car, BMW has flared out the fenders to accommodate larger wheels and wider tires. There’s an electric motor at each wheel, with even the base M3 featuring a standard quad-motor setup with xDrive. Drivers can disengage the front motors, resulting in a pure rear-wheel-drive layout for some tail-happy mischief.
The Electric M3 Will Have A Split-Layout Ducktail Spoiler
Moving to the back, BMW reveals the tip of the M3’s split ducktail spoiler that we saw on the concept. The rear bumper isn’t as wild as the show car’s, as Munich is toning down the extreme aerodynamic package. Still, there’s clearly an aggressive diffuser and horizontal slats to optimize airflow.
Although hidden here, the electric M3 will have “Track Light” as dual cube lights at the corners of both bumpers. We imagine they’ll be white to serve as daytime running lights at the front and red at the rear for the reflectors.
Love it or loathe it, this design will be replicated for another M3. The G84 with an inline-six gas engine is coming roughly a year after its electric counterpart. BMW plans to roll out the ICE-powered sports sedan in 2028, and it’s going to look an awful lot like the EV. It may be available only with an automatic transmission and xDrive, but nothing is official yet.
Both M3 flavors could get the more practical Touring treatment, as codenames have already surfaced. The long-roof electric model is internally known as the ZA1, while the six-cylinder estate is labeled as the G88. If BMW has given both the green light, they’ll likely arrive about a year after the sedan, putting the ZA1’s release in 2028 and the G88’s debut in 2029.
In the meantime, BMW will revive the X3 M, but strictly as an electric crossover (ZA5), supposedly launching in 2027. The electric M assault could also include a return of the X4 M not long after the conventionally shaped model.
Video: Benelux supercars / YouTube
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