On a sunny day back in April, BMW took four different vehicles to the Nürburgring to set fast laps with development engineer Jörg Weidinger behind the wheel. Not only did the new M2 establish a new record for compact cars but the M4 CSL also improved upon last year’s performance to take the crown in the midsize segment. In addition, the M3 CS became the fastest four-door BMW production car at the Green Hell, eclipsing even the mighty M5 CS.
The fourth car, simply labeled as an “M Prototype,” was most likely an M4 CS (G82) that lapped the Nordschleife faster than the other three. The official lap time for the 2024 M4 CS has yet to be revealed but we know it’s lower than the 7 minutes and 18.137 seconds needed by the M4 CSL. However, it’s only a matter of time (pun intended) before another M model will go even faster around the challenging track in Germany. Compared to all hot laps conducted with M cars in the past, the future model won’t have a combustion engine.
Speaking with Australian magazine WhichCar, BMW M CEO Frank van Meel said the performance division is “quite optimistic” about breaking Nürburgring records for BMWs with the hot EV. He went on to mention the mysterious electric M will have “to top that [M4 CS].” The future M model without a gasoline engine is going to have its roots in the quad-motor prototype that BMW has been testing since last year. It looks like an i4 M50 at first glance but it’s an entirely different beast underneath its familiar skin. The technology for a performance EV with over 1,300 horsepower already exists.
As expected, an electric M is not going to be available from day one as the head honcho said: “Of course, M always comes a little bit later – that is the strategy of M.” BMW will have no fewer than six Neue Klasse EVs on sale by 2028, and there are already reports about electric M3 and X3 M models due this decade, potentially with codenames starting with a “Z.”
With the standard sedan and crossover – previewed by the Vision Neue Klasse and a camouflaged prototype, respectively – set to arrive in 2025, it seems unlikely we’ll be seeing an electric M before 2026 or 2027.
Source: WhichCar
