BMW M boss: Electric M3 is petrol car's "natural enemy"

“It’s insane what you can do with that technology,” said van Meel. “You can bring more agility or stability to the car. You can brake the inner wheels, accelerate the outer ones and can get out of turns in a completely different way. It’s a new era of vehicle dynamics.”

He continued: “Power is nothing without control. Of course you need a lot of power [in a performance car], but you also have to control power. If you just throw out a huge amount, you will just leave four stripes on the Tarmac. In the best case it’s still stable but actually makes no sense.”

Van Meel is confident that the new capabilities brought by the quad-motor powertrain will win over buyers in the battle between the ICE and electric M3s.

He said: “There might be customers who say they want to have a combustion engine because they like the sound or the looks or cannot charge at home. That’s fully okay. But if you're into racing or driving dynamics, you might say the electric one is the best M3.” 

Van Meel joked that “in case of doubt, [customers can] buy both” but added that BMW will target both versions of the M3 at the same people and “the customer can decide”.

As previously reported by Autocar, the M3 EV will also offer simulated gearchanges, but that will no longer be paired with a simulated engine note inspired by historic M cars, said van Meel.

“We tried all the different sounds: we had a high-revving V10 from the M5 (pictured above); a high-revving V8 from the M3; we even tried the four-cylinder from the E30. But every sound only made sense for that specific car. If you try to put the sound in another car, the feeling is not right.”

The M division will instead develop a new sound inspired by the electric motors – but this, said van Meel, “shouldn’t be any Captain Kirk spaceship sound, because then you’re not connected”.

He said the dilemma is “philosophical” and that the M division is trying to “move ahead” in replicating the “feeling” and “emotion” of an ICE car, rather than directly copying its character.

More broadly, van Meel said the decision to simulate the power delivery of a combustion engine and gearbox is intended to make driving an electric M3 more intuitive.

“If you’re on the track, you want to know how quick you are. You need to have some pedal feel and ratios that you are comfortable with, so that you automatically know you are driving [for example] 100mph because you are in third gear, because you know the deceleration and acceleration. That’s what you want.

“You can of course copy a gearbox, and it’s already quite emotional. That’s a good idea. But we want more."

Design reinvention

Fundamental to the design of the next M3 is “proportion”, said M division designer Michael Scully, guiding Autocar around the M concept.

“When we look at the new powertrain there are a very different set of considerations packaging-wise, and we have worked very hard to get the proportions to what our customers expect – that very classic two and a half boxes with a very agile, dynamic [stance].

“To find a proportion that works for us is the first order of business, and we have a chance to take it one step further in terms of boldness.”

Scully also hinted at a cleaner, less fussy look for future M cars. “We are reducing them down to really the performance essence of the car. There’s a reductionism which, if done intelligently, means you can get it down to what is truly necessary from a performance standpoint.

“That’s really important in racing, and we’re now approaching it the same way in our production models.”

Scully described the fresh approach as “intelligent reduction”, as “whenever it turns into a decorative area, I don’t think that’s a good thing”.

Asked if that meant a move away from the large grilles and aggressive flares on current M cars, he explained: “Intelligent reduction is important, but it’s also about emphasising functional elements.

“What’s really important is that the elements we do have – from an aerodynamic perspective – is the real stuff, it’s not implied. That’s where the authenticity comes from. Our customers have incredibly educated eyes and they can see if we [jump the shark] on performance. 

“It’s also important to embrace the new powertrain. For example, we’ve got four electric motors, one on each corner, so let’s pronounce that. It helps make the cars look muscular and strong but it also pronounces where the powertrain is.”

Scully drew on his experience shaping BMW’s race cars in devising the new M3.

One example of his new, more purposeful approach is the massive double-decker diffuser mounted at the rear of the M Concept Neue Klasse.

This, Scully explained, was inspired by the racing M3s fielded in the GT2 and GT3 classes over the years. Those cars trade a traditional exhaust for side-exit systems, opening up space for a more aggressive rear diffuser, needed to generate downforce on track.

Replicating this design on the road-going M cars of the past wouldn't have been possible, lest drivers or passengers burn their legs on entry or exit after a spirited drive. But when you dispense of an engine in its entirety, and therefore also an exhaust, that frees up room for such an aerodynamic package. 

“We don’t have that [exhaust] requirement, so let’s open it up and celebrate the opportunity that we have now,” said Scully.

“We have a double-decker layout for the diffuser with a main [section] and an aerofoil across the bottom. The floating aerofoil helps to manage the flow. With aerodynamics, there’s never one standalone element: it’s always a constellation of things that affect each other.

“For example, that diffuser interacts significantly with the duck-tail spoiler, so that’s a constellation; that’s where a lot of downforce comes.

“I love downforce, because that’s the thing that, from a driving sensation standpoint, allows you to do things which your intuition says you can’t.

"When a car does that, when it enables the driver to experience those things their intuition tells them is impossible, I think we’ve landed in a great space.”

Indeed, prototypes of the next combustion-engined M3 have revealed a smaller rear diffuser than their electric counterparts, owing to the presence of M's signature quad-tip exhaust.

Scully also highlighted the large, deep vent in the concept’s raked bonnet. This is used to cool the four motors’ front-mounted radiator, but such a prominent feature would not have been possible were it not electric.

“Normally you would have a big engine right there and there’s no way you could have those ducts, but here we can,” he said.

Notably, the M concept dispenses with the hook-like side mirrors that have been a fixture of the M3 since the E36 generation.

This, said Scully, is another manifestation of motorsport-inspired design: “M customers over the years have come to know and love the cars for having this hook that points back toward the centreline of the car. But what we discovered was that if we turn the fin vertically, it's actually more efficient and brings small gains.”

Meanwhile, the car’s main-beam lights are mounted low and wide on the M Concept’s flanks. These are inspired by the M Hybrid V8, the BMW hypercar that raced in last month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.