Next-generation BMW super-saloon will be available with choice of two powertrains when it goes on sale in 2028

Next-generation BMW super-saloon will be available with choice of two powertrains when it goes on sale in 2028,
BMW is hedging its bets and developing two versions of the new M3 side-by-side, rather than picking one powertrain option over the other. Auto Express has learned that the upcoming all-electric M3 will be complemented by a mild-hybrid petrol-engined alternative. The reveal of both cars is scheduled for 2027, before they go on sale in 2028.

A senior official within the project told us that the two versions should look pretty similar to each other. Rather than two different editions of the super-saloon, we’ve been told to expect the same car with different powertrains. Both will be made available in the UK at the same time, with BMW able to increase or decrease production of one powertrain or the other depending on customer demand.

BMW’s development boss Frank Weber previously revealed that the existing 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine has been developed to meet Euro 7 emissions regulations. We have since learned that those emissions targets will be met with mild-hybrid tech, but otherwise, there’s no confirmation of what engine the next petrol-powered M3 will use. However, BMW won’t go down the same downsizing route as Mercedes-AMG has done with its four-cylinder plug-in hybrid C63.
BMW’s M division boss Frank van Meel also told Auto Express that the company is looking into simulated gearchange technology like that offered on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. “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.”