Suddenly, after seeing the BMW New Klasse M Concept, I’m quite excited for the new M3. A quad-motor electric version is coming, which is neat, but a gas-powered version is also in the works. And while the M5 is a heavy-hitting (and downright heavy) plug-in hybrid, BMW M CEO Frank Van Meel pointed out piston head That won’t be an M3. He said his team is focusing on “complete combustion theory.”
Here is the full quote:
“Our motorsport-derived-technology M Ignite Euro 7 S58 comes out this year (first with the current generation M3 and M4), so I can say that it will live to go into our future M cars. It will not be hybrid, because we are sticking with the true combustion principle. Here (with the Neue Klasse M3) we will go to the extremes, not the middle.”
This is a lot of alphanumeric mumbo jumbo, so allow me to translate. “M Ignite” is BMW’s patented pre-chamber ignition system, designed to reduce fuel consumption at high revs. It is intended to help the manufacturer’s twin-turbo, 3.0-litre inline-six—codenamed S58—meet Euro 7 emissions standards. BMW did a lot of work to keep this gas-burner around, essentially designing a secondary ignition system so that it had two spark plugs per cylinder, as well as higher compression and new variable turbine geometry turbos.
It’s especially because the new S58 has been so thoroughly reworked that BMW believes it is a good solution for the next-generation M3. While some consider hybrids to be the best of both worlds, others consider them a perfect compromise. I suppose you could make an argument for having either, but BMW isn’t going to compromise on a combination of the two for someone who wants electric or gas.
It’s unclear how much power the next-generation Gas M3 will produce. Regarding its price, BMW does not mention any additional output for the M Ignite-equipped S58, only saying that it reduces fuel consumption “without loss of power”. This could mean 473 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, as the current base M3 makes, or up to 523 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, which are currently touted by the M3 Competition xDrive.
And as for the battery-powered version, Van Meel says it will make a splash. “With the electric M3, we have moved to the next level of vehicle mobility,” he explained piston head. “The technology provided to us by the Neue Klasse means we can split the range, power and torque to create something extreme. We really started development with vehicle dynamics as our main goal, so the EV won’t just be a fast car in a straight line; it will also be fast around a track.”
Buyers have a choice to choose from: a pure, gas-only driver’s car or a mind-melting EV that was developed without any compromises. Either way, with looks like this, I’m not sure you could go wrong.
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