New BMW iM3: 1,000bhp EV super-saloon to get V10 engine sound

Sound has long been a controversial element of high-performance EVs. Do these models need a sound at all, let alone one that mimics a petrol engine? This is a question that BMW M has just emphatically answered, previewing the virtual engine noise that’ll be used in future all-electric models including the BMW iM3. 

Revealed in a video that’s following the development of BMW’s future iM3, the company showed how it’s creating a unique engine note from some of its most iconic past models. The video showed an E92 M3 and an F82 M4 GTS – models that respectively featured sonorous V8 and straight-six engines – but the main car being worked on to record and synthesise an engine noise was an E63-generation BMW M6 convertible with its iconic V10 engine. 

Like lots of manufacturers, BMW will use the speakers to broadcast a fake engine noise inside the cabin, helping boost the sense of connection between the driver and the car's electric powertrain. The video even went so far as to reveal what the system could sound like in an early prototype, and the other cars in the room suggest drivers could be given different soundtrack options depending on their preferences. 

We don’t yet know for sure whether this will be connected to a synthesised gearbox, as the sound is linear in the video, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see simulated gear changes implemented with matching engine noises. 

This news comes after confirmation that the new iM3 will indeed use a four-motor layout and large battery pack. This technology will be spread across a range of models from BMW M, but it’ll be seen first inside this new iM3, a model that will define the brand as it moves into its new electrified future. 

However, those worried the all-new BMW M3 would be EV-only can breathe a sigh of relief because the next iteration of the legendary super-saloon will also be offered in mild-hybrid petrol-engined form. We expect both the iM3 and the petrol-powered M3 to be revealed in 2027, before going on sale in 2028. 

What’s the latest on BMW M’s revolutionary new four-motor layout?

Aside from confirmation that BMW M will indeed fit a four-motor layout, we now have a general understanding of how the expected four-figure horsepower output will reach the ground. 

Each axle will have an identical set-up: two motors mounted symmetrically with their own integrated gearboxes. These will be single-speed items, because a two-speed system – as used on the Porsche Taycan – was deemed not necessary, given the incredible scope of performance from the e-motors themselves. 

BMW M still hasn’t confirmed an exact power figure, but we suspect it should break the 1,000bhp mark. The motors will draw power from a unique battery, which has “over 100kWh” of capacity, although once again, the final figure is still to be confirmed. For context, the battery in BMW’s new iX3 is rated at 112kWh net, suggesting a figure similar to that is on the cards. 

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Beyond the iM3’s bespoke battery, gearboxes and electric motors, BMW M has also confirmed that the software that stitches all of these components together is bespoke to the brand, building on the Neue Klasse’s ‘Heart of Joy’ set-up. In layman's terms, this oddly named system is a central brain made up from four different supercomputers that is helping BMW revolutionise performance, efficiency and engagement across its Neue Klasse generation. 

This means BMW will be able to fully augment drive from the four motors, allowing a total decoupling of the front axle to make the car rear-wheel drive, or provide true torque-vectoring. BMW’s unique battery also allows the highest level of regenerative braking on any BMW, which is especially impressive considering that Neue Klasse models such as the new iX3 are already capable of coming to a full stop using only regen. 

We’ve previously seen a quad-motor version of BMW’s similarly sized i4 M50 EV testing a system that can produce up to 1,341bhp, although such an output would probably be reserved for cars further up the M range, such as the X5 M and XM. 

Instead, the iM3 is likely to get a detuned version of the system. BMW’s M division boss Frank van Meel told Auto Express they “won’t need” a megawatt of power (roughly 1,341bhp) for the iM3, although with more power available, we could see more potent versions of the EV arrive later – akin to the petrol model’s hotter CS and CSL variants. 

BMW is also looking into simulated gearchange technology like that offered on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, van Meel added. “If you have just one gear and you have no feedback at all, you don’t know how fast you are going and you cannot look down at the speed,” he said. “You should always know how fast you are going, and that’s missing if you have no acoustic feedback and no haptic feedback. We are looking into different ways of giving you that.”

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Where does this leave the petrol-powered M3?

Given the difference in the two cars’ powertrains, we can expect their performance to be noticeably different. However, a senior official told us that the EV and petrol models should have similar styling – based on the Neue Klasse Sedan concept that BMW brought along to the Munich Motor Show in 2023. 

Along with the typically aggressive design traits that more modern M3s have become renowned for – such as chunkier wheelarches, larger wheels, bigger diffusers and bespoke bumpers – the new M3 will also feature BMW’s revolutionary ‘Panoramic iDrive’ too.

We’ve known the next M3 will become all-electric for the first time ever for a while now, but more recently, BMW’s development boss Frank Weber revealed that the existing 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine has been developed to meet Euro 7 emissions regulations. 

Rather than a plug-in hybrid system as on the latest M5, mild-hybrid technology will play a part in meeting the M3’s emissions targets, which will mark the first time hybrid power has been used in an M3. There’s no confirmation of what engine the next petrol-powered M3 will use, but BMW won’t go down the same downsizing route as Mercedes-AMG has done with its four-cylinder plug-in hybrid C63. 

A six or eight-cylinder M3 could be possible, but we know that it’ll have a new cylinder firing order and a revised cooling set-up – the latter of which will contribute to a significant reduction in weight, which could come down to as little as 1,500kg. Such a kerbweight on an M3 hasn’t been seen since the early 2000s, on the lightweight M3 CSL coupé with carbon panels. 

With no substantial electric assistance, we expect the petrol-powered M3 to be only slightly more potent than the current M3 Competition, which develops 523bhp and 650Nm of torque. 

What will the new BMW M3 look like?

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A camouflaged prototype of the new electric M3 was spotted testing with a bodystyle similar to the Neue Klasse sedan concept and indeed the livery on the test car was similar to the i4 quad-motor car our spies caught in 2023.

We expect the new all-electric M3’s design will be heavily inspired by the Neue Klasse 3 Series sedan concept, garnished with some usual M division touches such as wider wheelarches, aggressive bumpers and the diffuser seen in our exclusive image predicting the looks. 

With less heat build-up, thanks to new engine temperature-management systems, the petrol-engined M3 might not need many more air vents at the front than its pure-electric sibling. 

The M3’s interior will take elements from BMW’s new ‘Panoramic iDrive’, which it revealed in early 2025. This will feature a huge, full-width display on the dashboard, a larger trapezoidal central touchscreen and a radically different steering wheel. 

When will the new BMW M3 arrive and what are its rivals? 

Following the launch of the standard Neue Klasse 3 Series in 2026, BMW is scheduled to reveal the all-electric iM3 version of the next-generation M3 in 2027 alongside the petrol-powered version - which will mark seven years since the current G80-generation M3 went on sale. 

UK specifications and pricing are expected to be announced towards the end of 2027, with an on-sale date of 2028 for both cars. 

The electric M3 won’t have the market to itself when it does arrive. There will be competition from Hyundai with its Ioniq 6 N, which will share technology with the Ioniq 5 N. Other rival electric performance saloons will include the Tesla Model 3 Performance and potentially a hot Quadrifoglio version of the upcoming electric Alfa Romeo Giulia. 

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