To be an electric leader over the long term, BMW also needs to electrify the emotional core of its brand: high-performance sports sedans like the M3 and M5. And it needs to do that with products that enthusiasts will accept as authentic.

“BMW M’s high-performance vehicles will soon deliver the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ experience in electric form,” BMW promises. “From 2027, the BMW M Neue Klasse will usher in a new era in the high-performance vehicle segment and, for the first time, bring BMW M’s motto, ‘Born on the racetrack. Made for the streets. Core of a passionate community, to life with a fully electric drivetrain.”

“The models of BMW M Neue Klasse are set to establish a new benchmark in the high-performance vehicle segment,” says Franciscus van Meel, Managing Director of BMW M GmbH. “With the new technology of the Neue Klasse’s modular system, we are taking the BMW M driving experience to a new level and will inspire our customers with outstanding, racetrack-ready driving dynamics for everyday use.”

Four motors in two housings

“With fully electric cars, we can redefine the driving experience, especially in terms of performance, which will be quite a big step from our point of view,” Philipp Brunn, head of the BMW M Neue Klasse project, told reporters in November.

Creating track-capable electric M cars required significant modifications to the Neue Klasse platform. The iX3, the first ‘normal’ car of the ‘Neue Klasse’, has two motors: one powering the front wheels and the other powering the rear wheels. Technically, one motor is also possible for the lesser models in the future line-up.

All Neue Klasse M cars, however, will have four motors, each driving one wheel. Each wheel can be controlled quickly and independently, leading to driving dynamics that blow other M cars out of the water, BMW says. “The unique concept lets us achieve performance levels you’ve never seen in a BMW M production car as of now,” Brunn proudly explains.

Quad-motor performance car drivetrains have, until now, been the domain of million-dollar small-batch hypercars like the Rimac Nevera, so this tends to be a breakthrough.

BMW developed a new drive unit for the M cars that includes two independent motors, two gearboxes, an inverter, and a lubrication system, all in a single housing. There’s one of those at the front of the car and another at the rear. For extra efficiency during highway cruising, the front axle can be mechanically disconnected.

BMW isn’t discussing specific numbers yet. But Brunn said, “The car’s horsepower, torque, and acceleration will reach new heights.” BMW M has already been testing a ‘Neue Klasse’ i3 sedan with the technology for more than a year; we reported on the mule, called ‘the Beast’ by its testers, earlier on, the test drivers referred to a power output of 1,000+ hp. Momentarily, a specimen (copy?) of these special i3 ‘beasts’ is one of the eye-catchers on the BMW stand at the Brussels Motor Show.

Superfast software, fake gearshifts

Just like other ‘Neue Klasse’ vehicles, the M cars will use a simpler, more powerful electrical architecture that BMW says makes its latest EVs more responsive and fun to drive. Rather than spreading vehicle functions across dozens of electronic control units, BMW is using a handful of supercomputers.

“Benefits are the same as in the Neue Klasse models: faster data transfer between the control units, leading to a clear performance gain for us,” Brunn says. “The system is ten times faster, which sharpens system responses and, by that, improves driving dynamics.”

The ‘Heart of Joy,’ a computer that centrally manages everything related to powertrain and driving dynamics in ‘Neue Klasse’ vehicles, features software explicitly tailored for the M cars.

Tying the whole driving experience together will be simulated gear shifts, a first for BMW, as well as corresponding ‘M-specific sounds’. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N was one of the pioneers for this phony shifting and engine noises in an electric car. And to the surprise of many, it’s been a hit. Porsche has already said it will add simulated gears to its EVs, and now BMW is joining the party, too.

At the core of the 800-volt powertrain is a Neue Klasse battery pack with some high-performance upgrades. It will feature cells with extra cooling that prioritize power delivery over energy density. That results in higher power output and faster charging, but lower overall capacity and driving range.

BMW says the pack will be over 100 kilowatt-hours. The car’s battery management system has been overhauled, too, to handle the higher energy peaks. Moreover, the M pack is connected to the vehicle and suspension in more places than in a standard Neue Klasse, Brunn explains, thereby stiffening the car.

The Ms of the electric age

In many ways, electric cars are fundamentally better performers, democratizing supercar-like acceleration while offering unique opportunities, like a motor at each wheel. Of course, battery weight and recharging times still present serious challenges.

BMW has clearly gone beyond lip service and put a lot of work into adapting the M3 and M5 experience for the electric age. It has proven it can bring cool ideas and tech to the high-performance space.

The question now is whether it can deliver a package that satisfies enthusiasts who may be skeptical of EVs writ large. It’s hard to say until one can get behind the wheel.