BMW has finally settled one of the biggest questions surrounding its upcoming electric performance sedan. The brand's first battery-powered M3 will not wear an iM3 badge.
Instead, it will simply be called M3.
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The decision was confirmed by BMW M boss Frank van Meel during the Goodwood Festival of Speed, according to Auto Express.
By keeping the legendary nameplate, BMW signals that its electric performance sedan is not a separate branch but an equal successor to the badge's long history.
If the electric M3 had adopted the naming logic applied to electric versions of the non-M 3-series and other BMWs, it could have been called iM3.
However, BMW appears confident that what defines an M3 goes beyond its power source.
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The electric M3 is expected to be the most powerful M3 ever produced.
BMW's new four-motor drivetrain architecture can theoretically support outputs approaching 1,341 hp (1,360 PS / 1 MW), though production versions are expected to generate considerably less.
Even a modest output like 700 hp (710 PS / 522 kW) for the base car would see it comfortably eclipse every previous M3.
But M engineers appear focused on more than headline figures.
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Christian Karg, head of vehicle dynamics for BMW Group, told Auto Express: "It's not about the horsepower.
That's a part of the game, but the preciseness of M cars, that's what's unique."
