BMW is slowly peeling back the camouflage from the electric M3, and the latest teaser gives us our best look yet at the first full-fat M car without a combustion engine. The ZA0 is still wearing an M-colored wrap, but there’s far less of it than before. That makes it easier to see how the production car will translate the wild M Concept Neue Klasse into something you can actually buy.
And since BMW has already told us the production M3 will share the concept’s design, we decided to do what the automaker isn’t quite ready to do yet: digitally peel off the wrap and imagine what the finished car could look like. Before anyone reaches for the pitchforks, this isn’t an actual leak. It’s our interpretation of what BMW revealed yesterday with a ZA0 prototype cloaked in an M-colored livery.
The latest teaser makes the exercise considerably easier because many of the production car’s major design elements are no longer a secret. The overall shape should come as no surprise. The electric M3 will have the same basic proportions as the M Concept Neue Klasse, with massively flared wheel arches giving it a much wider stance than the regular i3. The latest prototype also reveals the squared-off lights at the outer corners of the bumpers. These so-called Track Lights were a particularly wild detail on the concept, and BMW is bringing them to production. In the long run, they’ll become a signature feature across all full-fat M cars. By the way, the one-millionth M car just rolled off the assembly line, and it’s an M3 Sedan in Fire Orange.
The Production Car Won’t Have The Concept’s Extreme Aero
We’re expecting BMW to tone down some of the concept’s more outrageous details for production. The gigantic diffuser and some of the more extreme aero bits have already been softened on the prototypes. That’s probably for the best, considering we’re talking about a road car rather than something that escaped from a wind tunnel. The exaggerated diffuser seems to be gone, and we can say the same for the concept’s split ducktail spoiler.
Still, the fundamental design appears remarkably faithful to the M Concept Neue Klasse. The central hood vent is there, the wide fenders are there, and the front end retains the aggressive character that made the radical show car such a departure from today’s M3. The official preview images also confirmed the M3 name, with BMW literally putting it on the prototype’s doors, roof, and trunk. Apparently, Munich doesn’t want anyone getting creative with the badge.
Speaking of the roof, it won’t be made from carbon fiber. Instead, BMW is gradually switching to flax-based natural-fiber composites. We’ve heard it’ll be standard on the electric M3, with the option of a panoramic glass roof. The latter is unlikely to have a section that slides open, since the regular i3 has a massive one-piece glass section that goes from front to rear.
BMW Is About To Replace Carbon Fiber With Something More Eco-Friendly
In the concept, BMW also used this new material for the hood’s air outlets and mirrors, cutting production-related emissions by 40% while maintaining strength and stiffness comparable to carbon fiber. Co-developed with Swiss company Bcomp, the new material also appears inside, specifically in some structural elements of the bucket seats.
The electric M3 arrives in 2027, followed roughly a year later by the six-cylinder G84. Given how much the standard 3 Series and i3 look alike, the same story will play out with their M counterparts. Both should also get the long-roof treatment, with the ZA1 and G88, respectively.
Our digitally unwrapped version isn’t the final answer, of course. But considering how little BMW has left to hide, we don’t think we’re going too far out on a limb with this one. And with both powertrain types and body styles on the way, the future looks bright for M3 enthusiasts.
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
