Report: Next-gen BMW M3 Will Be All-Wheel Drive Plug-in Hybrid
TheDetroitBureau’s Paul Eisenstein has a fine piece of reporting that the next-generation of BMW’s iconic M3 will have a hybrid, plug-in powertrain — a first for the performance sub-brand. Eisenstein says internal sources provided the information.
According to the report, the rear wheels would be driven by the gasoline engine, which could be the M3’s current boosted six — or even perhaps an ultra-potent four. Up front, one or two electric motors could power the forward wheels. Eisenstein’s story points out that by using tandem electric motors, the M3 would have baked-in torque vectoring that engineers could exploit for handling performance.
If the report is true, that E36 M3 you passed up on Craigslist eight years ago will soon be worth eleventy billion dollars.
Already, supercar makers such as McLaren and Ferrari have used similar technology for cars that cost more than $1 million, and BMW’s system could use a kinetic energy recovery system, although it’s unclear in the report how it would be used.
Porsche’s Panamera S E-Hybrid already uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain, although that car is in a much different segment than the M3.
The report says engineers initially balked at the additional weight a plug-in powertrain would add, but lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and aluminum found in the i8 could help offset those losses.
A plug-in hybrid could also make the future for BMW’s sub-brand “i” less clear. A few days ago, BMW CEO Harald Kruger said the “i” brand could have more cars in its lineup, but it’s clear that some of the technologies such as electrification and lightweight materials appear to be bleeding into the mainstream lineup.
And a plug-in hybrid system seriously casts a shadow of the future of manuals for BMW’s M division.
More by Aaron Cole
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Its all down hill from here. BMW is loosing it. Might as well buy a good used manual trans BMW and keep it running as long as you can. Just forget about buying a new BMW. Hey, maybe BMW can make a prius with a weenie "shifter" like the Dodge Ram Rebel.
I realize that you are just going to have to trust me on this one...but I think a few hard pulls in an i8 will quickly change your mind. If you know how to start a vacuum cleaner than you can go from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. Yes, the noise is haunting, the slingshot forces are unnerving; this all leading to a wholly unnatural experience. But denigrating a new and truly awesome concept isn't needed. There will always be a piston option from somewhere. And for those touting reliability concerns...the reliability of current motors when the environmental conditions can be tightly controlled is pretty impressive. Yes, there will be expensive black boxes that BMW will stuff with indirect R&D overhead but I expect that to be the exception rather than the rule.