Electrification ‘the new normal’ for BMW M division

BMW is readying a family of electric and hybrid performance vehicles, the first of which will be revealed within months.

Speaking at a media event for the M3 and M4 performance cars – each powered purely by premium unleaded – BMW executives confirmed the brand known for some of the most engaging driver’s cars ever created was working on high performance models that would employ electric motors.

“Electrification is definitely the new normal also for the BMW M division,” says the spokesperson for BMW’s high performance M division Martin Schleypen.

“For sure electrification is a big chance for BMW M.”

He said that electric motors would play a role in future M cars, albeit without detailing their role.

“For sure we will come out with electrification over the next few years – definitely.

“Whatever it takes to make a model … faster … electrification is a big toolkit with a lot of chances in it.”

BMW has long talked of its desire to electrify its M cars, albeit with no action in the showroom to date.

However, BMW has demonstrated the potential of electric motors with the i8 carbon fibre supercar, which teamed a three-cylinder turbo engine with electric motors.

One car that has been confirmed is a high-performance version of the upcoming i4, expected to get two electric motors for a combined output of about 390kW. The dash to 100km/h should comfortably come in below four seconds.

That would make it more powerful than the M3 and M4, two legends of the BMW range. They should also out-accelerate them.

“We already announced that this year we will come up with an M Performance model based on the BMW i4,” he added, confirming it would be revealed around mid-2021.

Already BMW has demonstrated the i4 will be about more than suburban commuting with some demonstrations of a development car drifting on a test track.

However, that initial dual motor installation of the i4 M Performance won’t get the full M division muscle.

Those who know their BMW M cars know M Performance is like M light, with less power and pace than the pure M cars.

Not that BMW has ruled out an i4 M – it’s just that the brand hasn’t officially talked about one yet, other than hinting one is in the works.

When quizzed on whether the M Performance would be faster than the M3 and M4 that are in many ways the heroes of BMW’s fast-car lineup, Schleypen was guarded in his response.

But he clearly left the door open to electricity beating petrol.

“There is an M Performance version of the i4,” he said, before detailing the requirements for the M3/M4: “As long as the successor of a car outperforms the predecessor our customers are willing to take any layout [electric or petrol].

“If the M version of the i4 will outperform the actual M3 and M4, let’s wait until we see the numbers of the M Performance model of the i4 and then we can talk about this in detail.”

Given the track focus of the M3 and M4, there’s every chance they will hold the performance advantage for lap times, but for outright off-the-line acceleration the i4 M Performance should sprint to the front.

As for the M3 and M4 turning to electric motors, that’s more complicated, as product manager as Hagen Franke explained.

“You need to add at the moment very heavy battery packs in order to ensure this performance,” he said, referencing the race track focus of those iconic M cars.

“If you really push them to the limit the batteries will be empty pretty fast.”

It’s that weight and the ability to have “hours of unlimited and unrestricted driving fun” that is so far holding BMW back on going the whole hog with electricity.

But it is coming.