Everything We Know (Electric, Hybrid, or Both?)

BMW is building two M3s at the same time for the first time in the model’s history — and neither one will have a manual gearbox. The ZA0 electric arrives in Spring 2027 with four motors and somewhere between 800 and 900 horsepower. The G84 gas-powered car follows in July 2028 with a mild-hybrid S58 and around 525 hp. Both get Neue Klasse design and iDrive X. Neither gets a clutch pedal. The G84 will almost certainly be xDrive-only. So will the ZA0, unless you count the decoupled rear-wheel-drive mode that the quad-motor setup enables.

From the E30 to the E46 to the G80, the M3 formula held: six cylinders, rear-wheel bias, a manual if you wanted one, and steering that made you take the long way home. That formula is now splitting in two directions at once. Here’s everything we know about both.

The ZA0: BMW M’s First Proper Electric Performance Car

The electric M3, internally coded ZA0, is the one getting here first. Production is rumored to start in Munich in March 2027, and what’s underneath the skin is unlike anything BMW M has offered before.

The drivetrain uses four independent electric motors — one per wheel — organized into two BMW M eDrive units, one per axle, each driving through its own gearbox. There are no mechanical differentials. Torque vectoring is entirely software-controlled, with BMW M promising the car will feel “predictable and controllable” in the same way the best M3s always have been. Mechanical differentials respond to physics; software-controlled systems respond to algorithms. Whether BMW’s engineers can close that gap through code is the central question hanging over the ZA0.

Power sits in the 800-900 hp range, according to sources. That would make it the most powerful BMW M production car ever built, clearing the 738-hp XM Label Red with room to spare. Torque delivery is instant across the entire range, which means 0-60 times well into the 2-second bracket are plausible, though BMW hasn’t confirmed figures yet. The battery is a dedicated pack exceeding 100 kWh net capacity — not the standard Neue Klasse unit — with 800-volt architecture supporting over 400 kW DC charging.

All-wheel drive is standard, but the front motors can be decoupled entirely for a rear-wheel-drive mode. Given that one of the defining pleasures of every M3 has been its ability to rotate on throttle, that feature will matter a lot to buyers who’d otherwise feel like they’re getting something different in disguise.

The G84: The Combustion M3s Lives On

BMW M CEO Frank van Meel has confirmed the gas M3 is coming. It carries the internal code G84, rides on the existing CLAR architecture, and rumors say it enters production in Dingolfing in July 2028 — about a year after the ZA0.

The powertrain is where things get interesting, and not entirely in the way enthusiasts were hoping. BMW describes it as “a new type of six-cylinder engine.” Sources indicate that means a mild-hybrid version of the S58 — the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter that’s been under the G80 M3’s hood since 2021 — with a 48-volt electric motor integrated directly into the eight-speed automatic transmission.

To be clear about what this is and isn’t: a 48V mild hybrid cannot run on electricity alone. It assists the combustion engine during acceleration, sharpens response off the line, reduces turbo lag, and helps the car meet Euro 7 emissions regulations. The eBoost function delivers an additional kick of torque when the driver needs it most. What it doesn’t do is add a plug, a large battery pack, or significant weight. BMW made a deliberate decision to skip the PHEV route — which the M5 took — specifically because the weight penalty would compromise the M3’s agility. That’s the right call.

Expected output starts at around 525 hp in base configuration, matching the G80 Competition. CS and CSL variants will deliver more, though it’s likely too early to assume these projects are even initiated. With 525 hp and a mid-weight package, 0-60 times in the mid-3-second range are realistic — more if BMW’s launch control and the mild-hybrid torque boost do what they’re supposed to.

What you won’t get with the G84: a six-speed manual. Sources are consistent on this. The automatic-only format applies to both M3 variants, and the days of a rear-wheel-drive manual M3 are over once the G80 stops production sometimes in 2027-2028. If that combination matters to you, start checking used inventory now.

Design: Neue Klasse With Different Proportions

BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk confirmed both the ZA0 and G84 will share “the same design and digital features” — Neue Klasse language across the board. The dual-element LED headlights, the closed kidney grille treatment adapted for the sedan, the cleaner surfacing. Both cars are recognizably M3.

The difference shows in the hood. Because the ZA0 has no engine to accommodate, it gets a shorter front overhang. The G84 keeps the longer nose, and frankly — based on the spy shots we’ve seen — the proportions suit the car better. The ICE car’s silhouette reads more like a classic sports sedan. The ZA0 reads more like the Neue Klasse sedans it’s related to, which is the point, but it does change how the car sits on the road visually.

Both use widened fenders over the standard 3 Series, the same M-specific stance and braking hardware, and — according to recent information — a natural fiber composite roof as standard, with a panoramic sunroof as an option. That’s a departure from the G80, where the carbon fiber roof was an optional extra. Here, you get the lightweight composite by default. The weight saving helps, particularly on the ZA0, which is expected to exceed 2,000 kilograms even in its lighter sedan form.

Inside: iDrive X across both cars

Both the ZA0 and G84 get BMW’s full Neue Klasse interior treatment. That means the Panoramic iDrive X setup: a wide display projected at the base of the windshield replacing the traditional instrument cluster, paired with a 17.9-inch central touchscreen. It’s a significant interior step forward from the current generation’s curved display, and early prototype spy shots show the ZA0’s cabin well along in development with M-specific seats and a sport steering wheel.

The G84, arriving a year later on the CLAR platform, will reportedly match the same interior specification. Once again, BMW hinted that all future cars share “the same design and digital features” — which means no version of the next M3 keeps the current interior layout. Whether the iDrive X interface in a performance context is better or worse than what it replaces is a question for first drives. The current system works. The new one is more ambitious.

What This Means For the M3’s Character

BMW is essentially running two parallel experiments with the M3 name. The ZA0 is a statement about where high-performance sedans are going: massive power, software-controlled dynamics, weight north of 2,000 kg, and a driving experience defined by instant torque and algorithmic precision. It will be fast. It may even be thrilling. Whether it satisfies M3 loyalists is a different question.

The G84 is the more conservative answer — a car that keeps the inline-six, accepts the mild-hybrid addition as a necessary concession to regulations, and delivers something in the neighborhood of 525 hp without a clutch pedal or rear-wheel-drive option. It’s the M3 for people who aren’t ready to go electric. It’s also, by all indications, the last combustion M3 BMW intends to build.

BMW M’s vice president Sylvia Neubauer said the inline-six M3 would continue “for as long as legally possible.” So hopefully this is not the end of the line for the iconic M3 because it remains one of the most iconic cars in the automotive history.