{"id":84890,"date":"2026-02-20T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84890"},"modified":"2026-02-20T07:00:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:00:15","slug":"bmw-m-confirms-simulated-engine-sounds-gear-shifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84890","title":{"rendered":"Purists, Look Away: BMW M Confirms Simulated Engine Sounds, Gearshifts For EVs"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"post-summary-wrap\">\n<h3 class=\"post-summary-title\">Article Summary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"post-summary-list\">\n<li>Coming next year, the electric M3 will be the first to emulate gas engine noises and gear shifts.<\/li>\n<li>BMW M CEO Frank van Meel claims it&#8217;s all about emotion rather than trying to pretend it&#8217;s a gas-fueled car.<\/li>\n<li>Another M3 with an inline-six engine is planned for 2028.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>2026 is the last year for BMW M without a high-performance electric car in its lineup. The M3 \u201cZA0\u201d will spearhead an expansion of the portfolio with full-fledged M models that skip the combustion engine. We\u2019ve heard an X3 M \u201cZA5\u201d is also locked in for 2027 with the sedan\u2019s quad-motor setup.<\/p>\n<p>Although neither will have an engine under the hood, these electric M models will pump ICE-like sounds through the speakers. BMW has already hinted at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2026\/01\/21\/electric-bmw-m-cars-use-real-inline-six-and-v10-sounds\/\">inline-six, V8, and V10 noises<\/a> for its hottest EVs. Now, the M boss is explaining the reasoning behind this controversial approach. It\u2019s not plain fakery, but rather a way to bring a sense of familiarity to a new era of performance vehicles. Frank van Meel told Australia\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whichcar.com.au\/news\/bmw-reveals-plans-inject-emotion-new-gen-electric-m-cars-engine-sounds-gear-changes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>WhichCar<\/em><\/a> publication why BMW is going down this road:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"11\">\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not pretending to be a combustion car. It\u2019s the emotional connection. We are going to have something like emulated gearshifts and sounds, coming from our classic engines. Just to enhance the feeling. You can only connect to something you know, or feel comfortable with. The human being is trying to find something it is familiar with. Or to a human being it makes the most sense. In order to be connected to the road, you need to have acoustic feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/BMW-M3-electric-ZA0-1.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-510720 size-medium\" title=\"BMW M3 ELECTRIC DETAILS 07\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/BMW-M3-electric-ZA0-1-830x659.jpg\" alt=\"BMW M3 ELECTRIC ZA0 1\" width=\"830\" height=\"659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/BMW-M3-electric-ZA0-1-830x659.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/BMW-M3-electric-ZA0-1-1289x1024.jpg 1289w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/BMW-M3-electric-ZA0-1-768x610.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/BMW-M3-electric-ZA0-1-1536x1220.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/BMW-M3-electric-ZA0-1-2048x1627.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>V10 Sounds In An EV Are Planned<\/h3>\n<p>So, there you have it. This isn\u2019t a gimmick, but a bridge to the past. BMW wants to infuse nostalgia into the new wave of top-end Ms. We should mention that future cars like the M3 ZA0 won\u2019t just play gas-engine noises. Instead, there will be a unique soundtrack blending ICE notes with the electric motor\u2019s whir.<\/p>\n<p>The engine sounds will be authentic. BMW has recorded the wonderful noises of the M3 GTS (E92), M4 GTS (F82), and M6 (E64). Frank van Meel says these ICE soundtracks will be combined with the \u201cbasic sounds of the electric motor\u201d to create a distinctive soundscape.<\/p>\n<p>If you do think this is a gimmick, it\u2019s reasonable to expect a way to turn off the emulated gearshifts and engine sounds. Whether the \u201cemotional connection\u201d cited by the mayor of M Town will also extend to M Performance cars remains unclear. Frank van Meel recently said that about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2026\/02\/19\/bmw-m-launch-30-performance-cars-by-2029\/\">30 cars are coming by 2029<\/a>. We believe many of them won\u2019t have an engine.<\/p>\n<h3>The Next-Gen M3 With A Gas Engine Is Coming In 2028<\/h3>\n<p>Traditionalists can take comfort in knowing there will be another gas-fueled M3. Internally called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2026\/01\/26\/2028-bmw-m3-spy-photos\/\">G84<\/a>, the sports sedan with an inline-six is scheduled to launch in 2028. We\u2019ve heard it will be a mild hybrid with an automatic transmission and xDrive, but nothing is official until BMW confirms it.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the current-generation M3 G80 still offers a stick shift and rear-wheel drive. Production in Munich isn\u2019t ending for about another year, giving enthusiasts plenty of time to take the plunge. The M3 Touring is likely to live a bit longer, until near the end of 2027. That said, you can\u2019t row your own in the super wagon. The G81 also lacks a rear-wheel-drive version, although you can activate a 2WD mode after switching off the dynamic stability control system.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, other BMW M models with real engines will include the X5 M (G95) and the X6 M (G96), albeit the V8 duo will share the spotlight with EV counterparts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Article Summary Coming next year, the electric M3 will be the first to emulate gas engine noises and gear shifts. BMW M CEO Frank van Meel claims it&#8217;s all about emotion rather than trying to pretend it&#8217;s a gas-fueled car. Another M3 with an inline-six engine is planned for 2028. 2026 is the last year [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84891,"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-84890","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\/84890","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=84890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/84891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}