{"id":84009,"date":"2025-10-17T07:08:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T11:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84009"},"modified":"2025-10-17T07:08:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T11:08:58","slug":"electric-bmw-m3-spied-recharging-battery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84009","title":{"rendered":"First-Ever Electric BMW M3 Spied Juicing Up Its Battery"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re certainly living in an interesting timeline. BMW now has two full-fledged M cars with plug-in hybrid setups and is working on another that will ditch the combustion engine altogether. Even though the regular i3 \u201cNA0\u201d electric sedan hasn\u2019t been revealed yet, its M sibling has become a familiar sight at the N\u00fcrburgring.<\/p>\n

New spy photos taken near the demanding Green Hell show an electric M3 \u201cZA0\u201d prototype parked during a lunch break at BMW M\u2019s test center in N\u00fcrburg. The test car features a Gen6 battery pack with round cells, although its exact capacity remains unknown. For reference, the new iX3 50 xDrive<\/a> uses a 108.7-kWh battery, which will likely power the i3 as well.<\/p>\n

Could the M division downsize it to reduce the weight penalty compared to the gas M3? It\u2019s possible, but too early to say. Either way, BMW knows traditionalists will always favor a combustion engine. For them, an M3 \u201cG84\u201d<\/a> with an inline-six is also in development. However, that one too will probably be electrified to meet stricter emissions regulations. No, not with a plug-in hybrid like big-brother M5, but a mild-hybrid \u201cS58.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spy photos suggest the two M3 variants will share much of their design. Since styling is subjective, that could be good or bad news depending on personal taste. We\u2019re fans of the new iX3 and confident that the Neue Klasse styling<\/a> will work even better on sedans. Beneath the skin, the two M3s will be completely different. The \u201cZA0\u201d will ride on a dedicated EV platform, which explains its shorter nose compared to the CLAR-based \u201cG84.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

While the gas M3 is rumored to come exclusively with all-wheel drive, the electric M3 could launch as a rear-wheel-drive model. Beyond styling and iDrive X<\/a>, the two might have more in common. Reports indicate the \u201cG84\u201d won\u2019t offer a manual gearbox, meaning both versions will be automatic only.<\/p>\n

For now, there\u2019s still time to buy an M3 with three pedals. Production of the \u201cG80\u201d is reportedly set to end in February 2027, with the more practical \u201cG81\u201d Touring<\/a> following in October that same year. Expect order books to close several months before those dates.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re ready for an electric M3, it\u2019s expected to arrive first. The \u201cZA0\u201d could enter production in Munich as early as March 2027, while the \u201cG84\u201d is allegedly scheduled for Dingolfing from July 2028. Of the two M3 variants, only the electric one is said to be getting a wagon version, codenamed \u201cZA1.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re certainly living in an interesting timeline. BMW now has two full-fledged M cars with plug-in hybrid setups and is working on another that will ditch the combustion engine altogether. Even though the regular i3 \u201cNA0\u201d electric sedan hasn\u2019t been revealed yet, its M sibling has become a familiar sight at the N\u00fcrburgring. New spy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84010,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/84010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}