Image: BMWSix words settled it. "Of course it's called M3," BMW M CEO Frank van Meel declared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, per Auto Express. No "iM3." No electric qualifier. No asterisk. BMW just made a statement that goes beyond badge placement on a trunk lid — the company is treating its first all-electric M3 as a direct heir, not a science experiment with a familiar face. For anyone who's watched BMW slap "i" prefixes on everything from sedans to SUVs, this deliberate refusal to do so here tells you exactly where M division draws its line.What's Actually Under the BadgeQuad motors, two platforms, and enough horsepower to make the naming debate feel quaint.The electric M3 rides on BMW's Neue Klasse architecture with a quad-motor setup. The theoretical ceiling sits around 1,341 horsepower — essentially one megawatt — though Auto Express reports the production car will likely land somewhere around 650 to 750 hp at base. Higher-output versions reportedly could push 800 to 900 hp, though that remains unconfirmed. Meanwhile, a new mild-hybrid inline-six combustion M3 arrives on the updated CLAR platform alongside it. Both cars will look nearly identical from the outside, per CarScoops. Key details:AdvertisementAdvertisementElectric M3 on Neue Klasse; combustion M3 on updated CLARNear-identical exterior design across both powertrainsTorque vectoring at each individual wheelSimulated gear-shift sensations and synthesized sound in developmentProduction debut expected around 2027; on sale circa 2028"Of course it's called M3… we never put any i or e or whatever next to M3. That will remain the same in the future as well independent of the drivetrain." — Frank van Meel, BMW M CEOTrademark filings at the EUIPO had analysts convinced "iM3" was inevitable — it fit BMW's established naming playbook perfectly. Van Meel just overruled trademark logic with brand logic. Think of how Porsche kept "911" through air-cooling, water-cooling, turbocharging, and hybridization. The name carries a promise the drivetrain doesn't own. You'll soon pick between an electric M3 and a combustion M3 the way you'd choose specs, not separate identities.Drive It Before You Judge ItAlready telling skeptics to reserve judgment, BMW is betting that precision — not fuel type — defines what an M3 actually is.AdvertisementAdvertisementSuspicious of an M3 without an exhaust note? BMW's answer is direct: drive it first, according to Autoblog reporting. The pitch to M3 faithful who hear an inline-six in their sleep centers on precision torque vectoring that can do things a combustion drivetrain physically cannot — plus simulated shifts and synthesized sound designed to preserve the emotional texture of the experience. For those weighing reliability concerns around European car engines, the electric drivetrain may reframe the conversation entirely."It's not about the horsepower." — Christian Karg, BMW M dynamics chiefIf the M3 badge survives electrification intact, every other M nameplate likely follows the same path. The name just became a promise that outlasts the engine — and that signal may matter more than any spec sheet BMW publishes between now and 2027.From the coolest cars to the must-have gadgets, GadgetReview's daily newsletter keeps you in the know. Subscribe - it's fun, fast, and free.
+24 others
![BMW, SUV, The BMW iX4 looks more like a GT than an SUV [Images]](https://cdn.topcarnews.net/thumb/id/aHR0cHM6Ly9pMC53cC5jb20vZWxlY3Ry-ZWsuY28vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRz-L3NpdGVzLzMvMjAyNi8wNy9CTVctaVg0-LUdULVNVVi0yLmpwZWc_dz0xNTAwJmFt-cDtxdWFsaXR5PTgyJmFtcDtzdHJpcD1h-bGwmYW1wO3NzbD0x/44847916d4631457013dfd46d3f7570e.jpeg?t=20260717&post_id=46024)
![BMW, SUV, The BMW iX4 looks more like a GT than an SUV [Images]](https://cdn.topcarnews.net/thumb/id/aHR0cHM6Ly9lbGVjdHJlay5jby93cC1j-b250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvc2l0ZXMvMy8y-MDI2LzAzL0JNVy1uZXctaVgzLUVWLWlu-dGVyaW9yLmpwZWc/85ef9dc804544b94c75d5688cd913f18.jpeg?t=20260717&post_id=46024)
![BMW, SUV, The BMW iX4 looks more like a GT than an SUV [Images]](https://cdn.topcarnews.net/thumb/id/aHR0cHM6Ly9lbGVjdHJlay5jby93cC1j-b250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvc2l0ZXMvMy8y-MDI2LzA2L0JNVy1pWDMtbG9uZ2VzdC1y-YW5nZS1FVi5qcGVn/ddd006976d807335d70bb0c295221086.jpeg?t=20260717&post_id=46024)
![BMW, SUV, The BMW iX4 looks more like a GT than an SUV [Images]](https://cdn.topcarnews.net/thumb/id/aHR0cHM6Ly9lbGVjdHJlay5jby93cC1j-b250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvc2l0ZXMvMy8y-MDI2LzA2L0JNVy1pMy1FVi1vcmRlcnMt-b3Blbi0xLmpwZWc/4a1a9ff0758212605bed37834f2c7e7a.jpeg?t=20260717&post_id=46024)
