by BMW M Vice President Sylvia Neubauer notes that it is difficult to convince the brand’s core customers to choose electric vehicles.
The new generation M3 will be available both with an internal combustion engine and in a fully electric version, developed on different platforms.
Currently, the M division also offers hybrid models, including the powerful XM and the new M5.
Automakers are facing the fact that convincing buyers of budget-efficient cars to choose an electric car is much easier than attracting true car enthusiasts to electric vehicles.
This trend creates particular challenges for brands like BMW M, but the company is confident that it can offer the right products for its audience during the industry’s inevitable transition to electrification.
If BMW M can learn anything from competitor Mercedes-AMG’s experience with the hybrid C 63, it’s that car enthusiasts clearly know what they want – the familiar engine sound and the feel of driving a true sports car. Sylvia Neubauer acknowledged this challenge after the presentation of the new M5 and the start of work on the first full-fledged M electric car.
“It wasn’t easy,” she said. “Our core audience is enthusiasts who are not the most obvious candidates to switch to electric vehicles.”
“However, we must not view this group as the only target, as changes are already happening. Of course, convincing our core customers will be more difficult, but we will offer them an appropriate product,” she added.
BMW M’s strategy is to simultaneously maintain the loyalty of existing customers and attract new ones interested in electric vehicles. This is why the new generation M3 will have two versions – with a traditional engine based on an updated inline-six from the current G80, as well as a fully electric modification, which will likely be called the iM3.
Detailed technical specifications for both models have not yet been disclosed, but the new ICE M3 is expected to exceed the 500 hp mark. The electric version will have significantly more power – BMW’s four-motor system is theoretically capable of producing up to 1341 hp, although such a figure is unlikely to be realized for the M3.
However, most true car enthusiasts are willing to sacrifice top speed for more vivid driving sensations – especially since even the current M3 with an internal combustion engine is not inferior in power.
