The corny title does refer to a serious situation. The electrification of the automobile is not the future, it’s the present. The majority of OEMs currently have at least one hybrid, plug-in hybrid or 100% EV. If they don’t, they’ve got one or more in the works that will arrive within two years.
BMW’s already well in the game with its iPerformance cars and the i3 and i8. A while back, they more or less pledged that roughly 40% of all the vehicles they will sell in 2025 will be electrified in one way or another. The big news is that BMW’s holy grail, the M division, is more than likely going to be headed in the same direction.
As well all know, the electrification of cars is not only about being green. Some of the fastest production cars in the history of the world, such as the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918, are actual hybrids. It seems very possible to imagine an M3 powered once more by a 4-cylinder engine, turbocharged this time, aided by batteries and an electric motor, crushing the current boosted straight-6’s performance numbers.
