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BMW says it will let the customers decide if they want electric or internal combustion vehicles when it comes to high-performance M cars.
Electric Cars
BMW M CEO Frank van Meel said that the performance arm of the German brand will let the sales figures show if customers want electric or internal combustion (ICE) power.
“As long as there is demand from the markets, which currently there is a lot, we will keep [building petrol cars]. Of course, if there is no demand, because everyone falls in love with the electric one or the other way around, we will see. That's the direction we're going to follow,” van Meel told Drive this month.
The news comes on the back of BMW's decision to develop an all-electric M3, after being a solely internal combustion vehicle for four decades. Full specifications are yet to be released, but the electric M3's development has been depicted in YouTube episodes for the past year.
It is already known that the car will utilise four electric motors, one for each wheel, capable of as much as 1000kW, with more speculative information covered here.
A new-generation M3 coming to the market within the next 18 months would fall in line with previous generation gaps of around five to six years.
Frank van Meel further hinted at the release date of the new electric M3 by telling Australian media that he would be “glad to have this discussion probably in one and a half years once you have driven the all-electric ones”.
Electric aside, BMW isn’t in a rush to eliminate internal combustion from its line-up and finds that the best solution, for now, is to sell the cars side by side.
A new petrol-powered M3 is also understood to be in the works, though it may not reach showrooms until 2028, as today's model is in its final months ahead of a new 3 Series range's arrival.
“The good news is we have both directions, so we, we don't, we don't have the need to decide right now. It can just go on like this and have a broad portfolio and the right offer for everyone,” van Meel said.
“I think the split strategy is always right because it answers, it gives the answers to the demands of our customers, and you always have to listen to your customers.”
“What makes me so positive about the electric one is that timing is everything. Because timing is also about having the right technology available that you need to do a proper car.
“And we're convinced that what we are working on right now is exactly the technology everyone has been waiting for or is waiting in a high-performance car.”
Further information about the new electric BMW M3 will be released over the coming year.
Electric Cars Guide
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
