- There likely won't be another combustion-powered BMW M4 because there won't be an ICE replacement for the 4 Series.
- The next M4 will share its quad-motor electric powertrain with the electric M3 set to debut two years before.
- BMW is currently in the process of designing the electric 4 Series on which the M variant will be based and launched around 2029.
BMW is going to keep combustion-powered M cars on sale even after the end of the decade, but one report suggests the two-door M4 won’t be among them. Its four-door sibling, the M3, will be available with a choice of combustion or electric power, and it all has to do with how BMW wants to shape its lineup going forward.
BMW Blog says the chances of another combustion M4 are slim because BMW has no plans to follow up with the current G22 4 Series with an all-new model to replace it at the end of its lifecycle. The source article notes that BMW is currently penning the design for an electric 4 Series, whose M variant will be launched toward the end of the decade.
Unlike the 4 Series, which isn’t getting a direct replacement, the 3 Series will get an all-new generation, the G50. This will be built on a development of the CLAR architecture that underpins most of its current lineup, and it will feature a performance-oriented M350 model and a brand new M3 codename G84, which is expected to go into production in the summer of 2028.
BMW sells roughly equal numbers of combustion M3s and M4s globally today, so the disappearance of the ICE M4 will boost sales of the sedan. But will those buyers looking for a two-door get the electric M4? Well, the switch is still a few years away, and buyer preferences may change, but there’s a strong chance that the lack of a gas-burning M4 will send buyers to the showrooms of those manufacturers still offering a performance combustion coupe.
That’s not to say BMW’s upcoming electric M cars won’t be exciting because they will likely be among the most fun-to-drive EVs available. BMW began teasing the upcoming electric M3, which will feature a quad-motor setup, with each wheel getting its own individual drive unit. We’re not sure if this will be standard or if base electric M3s will just have two motors driving the rear wheels, but it should make for some very enjoyable driving dynamics.
BMW said that during the internal drive event organized for company officials to try and greenlight the electric M3, the execs were left speechless. The manufacturer didn’t share any technical details other than the fact that the prototype had four motors, but we have heard rumors that the M3 EV could have in excess of 1,000 horsepower.
That seems excessive for something like an M3, but given that it’s an EV and has more weight to lug around, it will be more powerful than the combustion variant. Around 700 horsepower is probably suitable for the M3 EV and its two-door brother, the M4 EV. The latter will be based around the upcoming 4 Series EV, which will likely be called the i4 and be the first coupe built on the Neue Klasse platform.
The all-new i4 will debut in 2028, but the M variant may not be released in the same year, and it will likely arrive in 2029. It will be preceded by the launch of the electric 3 Series, which will wear an i3 badge and debut in 2026, with its M variant following a year later.
