- The new BMW M3 with a combustion engine is undergoing testing at the Nürburgring.
- Codenamed G84, the sports sedan will retain its twin-turbo, 3.0-litre inline-six engine.
- BMW has ruled out a plug-in hybrid setup, but a mild hybrid is a possibility.
- Don’t expect to see it before 2028.
It’s easy to forget that BMW is developing another gasoline-powered M3, while most of the conversation revolves around the electric model. But make no mistake: Another six-cylinder sports sedan is on the way. Fresh footage captured at the Nurburgring carspotter zeroen This gives us our best look yet at the successor to the current-generation M3. We’ll likely be seeing a lot more of these camouflaged prototypes, as the car isn’t expected to break cover until 2028 at the earliest.
Some details shared by BMW suggest that the new M3 will definitely not be a plug-in hybrid like its bigger brother, the M5. However, according to Neue Klasse chief Mike Reichelt, it will use a “new type of six-cylinder engine”. Some have speculated about radical changes to the V6, which Munich never put into a production car, even though prototypes were built in secret. However, M CEO Frank van Meel has made it clear that the inline-six is here to stay.
BMW will likely further refine the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre engine beyond the new pre-chamber ignition technology recently introduced in Europe. Rumor has it that the next M3 may adopt a mild-hybrid setup to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations. Although it’s impossible to tell from the spy video, the “G84” may be offered exclusively with all-wheel drive and an automatic transmission.
This is a full M car
The test car’s flared fenders hint that this is a full-fat M3 rather than the M Performance model BMW mistakenly listed as the M350 on its website for the 2027 model year. Predictably, it doesn’t look as wild as the M Concept New Class (pictured below) Since it will not inherit the extreme aerodynamic package.
Although the M Concept New Class technically previewed next year’s electric M3, BMW has already said that future models will look almost identical, no matter what powers them. As a result, the new i3 sedan offers the perfect preview of the gasoline-powered 3 Series debuting in the coming months. In detail, the electric and combustion-powered M3 should look exactly the same inside and out.
You can tell this hidden prototype is still a work in progress by its makeshift headlights and taillights. Whether the M Concept New Class’s chunky ducktail spoiler is hidden beneath the camouflage is unclear, but some of the concept’s design cues will certainly carry over to the production M3. In fact, BMW has already confirmed that double-yellow headlights and stacked, cube-shaped lights on the bumper will appear on all future M models.
Photos: BMW
Photos: BMW
The next M3 prototype has an all-glass roof
The prototype appears to have a fixed full-glass panoramic roof, with no openings to allow fresh air into the cabin. This won’t be the only option for the next-generation M3, as BMW will also offer a lightweight roof made of flax-based natural fiber composite. The concept we keep mentioning also uses this carbon-fiber option for the hood air outlet, side mirrors, front splitter, and rear diffuser.
BMW is hinting about building another M3 Touring with a gasoline engine and potentially bringing it to the United States, where the current “G81” remains forbidden fruit. The company hasn’t made any concrete commitments, but it is developing an electric i3 Touring as well as a new combustion-powered 3 Series Touring. Meanwhile, this has not been done with the current M3, as both the sedan and wagon are expected to remain in production until 2027.
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Source: BMW
Motor1’s Opinion: Purists may find the electric M3 sacrilegious, but they can take comfort in knowing that BMW is preparing another generation powered by a six-cylinder engine. The video offers solid proof of the company’s commitment to the inline-six, which now meets the Euro 7 emissions standard. This can only mean that it still has a long future, like the V8, which also complies with the latest regulations.
We should get our first taste of the new inline-six 3 Series when the M350 debuts, likely before the end of the year, as a replacement for the M340i. Given that BMW is expected to continue selling the new 3 Series until the middle of the next decade, this may be the last generation of the 3er to feature a six-cylinder engine.
EU wants automakers to cut CO2 Emissions will increase 90 percent by 2035 compared to 2021 levels, so we wouldn’t hold our breath waiting for the inline-six to survive beyond the next-generation 3 Series. Of course, we wouldn’t mind if BMW proves us wrong.
Source:
CarSpotter Jeroen/Youtube
