The biggest car news and reviews, no BS
Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday.
After months and years of teases from BMW M of how its first electric M3 will perform, we’ve finally gotten a decent glimpse at how it’ll look. This is the M Concept Neue Klasse, taking the design direction forged by the new i3 sedan and iX3 SUV and applying it to a sport sedan for the first time.
Before we go any further, it’s important to stipulate that while this concept is intended to highlight the electric version of the next-gen M3, there will also be an internal-combustion one. Don’t write the battery-powered option off immediately, though, because when it eventually debuts, it’ll have electric motors on each wheel and a unique cell chemistry that allows it to charge and recuperate energy more quickly than conventional EVs. Sure, there are loads of fast electric cars out there, but there are reasons to believe that the electric M3 will stand out among them.
With all that said, we can now focus on the design, which is really what this concept is intended to show off. Initial impressions are positive. I like the dramatically flared fenders, and some of the racing-minded cues BMW is apparently going to lavish on future M models that are debuting here, like the square running “track lights” near the bottom of the bumper, and the yellow DRLs that call to mind endurance racing. The M Concept Neue Klasse debuted Friday afternoon in France ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, after all, so it’s only appropriate.
BMW
As someone who never warmed up to the comedically long and narrow kidneys on the outgoing M4, the wider signature of combining the kidneys and lights in a single graphic works for me. Same goes for the massive apertures for cooling on the front and rear of this concept, with center pillars bridging the gaps to the splitter up front and the diffuser out back.
M cars certainly haven’t been lacking in aggression in recent years, but this concept manages to maintain that tenacity without sacrificing elegance, or venturing into the M2’s blocky bulbousness. It’s not just good—I’d go so far as to say it’s BMW’s best-looking M car in years.
BMW
Inside, the cabin proudly plays up the M brand’s tri-color motif with Bathurst Blue seats and Berry Red five-point harnesses. The dashboard wears what initially looks like a digital honeycomb pattern on a knit material, until you realize on closer inspection that it’s actually backlit.
The trajectory with interior ergonomics is a little concerning, because what BMW’s done here is move any button that might’ve been on the dash or center console onto the steering wheel, and also made them capacitive, rather than physical keys. Steering wheel controls are handy, but this one has so many functions that it’s genuinely giving me agita just looking at it. The digital instrument cluster readouts also sit just below the windshield, as they do with other Neue Klasse models. It looks sharp in photos, but I can’t weigh in on what it actually feels like to live with yet.
With the normal i3 slated to hit U.S. dealers next year, this peek at M’s take on the formula looks pretty safe for production. It’ll be interesting to observe how the gas-powered version could deviate from it. Heck—with Le Mans this weekend, I’m already dreaming about the inevitable GT3 version.
BMW
Got a tip? Reach out to tips@thedrive.com
Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is a Senior Editor at The Drive, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.
