When BMW said the next M3 would be powered by a “new type of six-cylinder engine,” some outlets jumped to speculate it might be a V6. We quickly dismissed the rumor, reporting instead that the sports sedan would stick with its hallmark inline-six. Sure enough, the “G84” won’t mess with a winning formula.
We spoke with M CEO Frank van Meel at the Japan Mobility Show about what’s ahead for the gas-powered M3. Purists, rejoice: he confirmed our original reporting that the seventh-generation model will retain the inline-six setup:
“We are going to keep the six-cylinder inline engine in the future of the M3. We are sticking to the best combustion-engine car in the segment, the iconic six-cylinder inline.”
The V6 rumor never made much sense anyway. BMW has never sold a production car with a V6, so why start now? Developing an all-new engine from scratch would be costly and poorly timed as the industry moves toward electrification. Investing in a V6 only to use it for a few short years simply wouldn’t make financial sense.
Europe’s planned 2035 ban on new combustion-engine car sales further narrows the window for such a project. That said, BMW has experimented with V6s in the past. As journalist Jason Cammisa revealed in a 2015 Road & Track column, the company secretly built and tested several prototypes. However, none came “close to meeting company noise and harshness standards.”
As for BMW’s reference to a “new type of six-cylinder engine,” that line came from Mike Reichelt, Head of Neue Klasse, in an interview with Top Gear earlier this year. We believe he was hinting at an electrified evolution of the proven S58 engine. Don’t worry: it won’t be a plug-in hybrid.
BMW will likely give the twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six a mild-hybrid system to meet tightening emissions standards, particularly Euro 7. The initial M3 G84 flavor could deliver around 525 horsepower, with potential to reach 560 hp later in its life cycle. We’re hearing BMW plans to offer what may be the final gas M3 generation exclusively with xDrive and an automatic transmission.
If our information is accurate, and it usually is, the clock is ticking for the rear-wheel-drive, manual M3. Production of the current G80 reportedly ends in March 2027, meaning order books could close about a year from now. The next-generation M3 is slated to enter production in mid-2028, but not in Munich. BMW could build the 3 Series (G50) and its spicy M derivative in Dingolfing.