BMW wants its Electric M Cars to Stay True to their Formulas While Being Groundbreaking

• The upcoming BMW M2 Coupe will be the last M Car to be free from electrification

• The recently announced XM Sports SUV will be the first M Car to be electrified

• An electric M3 could arrive starting in 2025 with the Neue Klasse platform.

Just like every other automaker, BMW is moving towards electrification with the launch of the iX, the i4 and the i7, but the one area that has yet to be affected is the M division.

This won’t be for long since the automaker has already announced the XM SUV which will be the first M model to be powered by a hybrid powertrain. In addition, the company began talking about future electric M versions.

Indeed, the M brand’s boss, Frank Van Meel, gave an interview with Autocar in which he explained the goals his division wants to achieve with its upcoming hybrid and fully electric models.

According to him, M cars, including the M3, will need to keep their formula and retain a traditional feel that will be familiar to owners of the current version of the car.

This doesn’t mean that these cars will be copies of their current selves, however, since the brand wants them to be ground-breaking enough to impress even enthusiasts who are already familiar with M Cars.

This means that electric versions of the M3 and others will not be like the current M versions of the i4 and the iX, which have more power and a slightly different style than the regular model.

Indeed, M Cars will be much more track-focused and more of a serious sports car, with wider wheel arches, lower weight, and tighter handling.

Van Meel is not worried about the challenges posed by electrification either because he believes it will help the cars be more dynamic and more engaging to drive.

This is because the center of gravity is lower due to the batteries being placed under the floor, as is the case with the upcoming Neue Klasse platform that could spawn the next M3.

Lowering the center of gravity reduces the body roll and affords better control over the weight transfer. In addition, electric and hybrid powertrains allow engineers to fine-tune the power and torque curves in a way that is not possible with combustion engines.

Furthermore, 90 to 95% of customers polled by BMW said the powertrain chosen for upcoming M cars didn’t matter to them as long as they still feel like an M car

The first fully electric vehicle to wear the M badge is likely to be a next-generation M3 that could arrive as soon as 2025, with the brand’s other models following in the rest of the decade and the beginning of the 2030s.

Source: Autocar