BMW M boss: Electric M3 is petrol car's "natural enemy"

BMW is producing its “own earthy enemy” successful the electrical M3, according to M part brag Frank van Meel, arsenic buyers of the next-generation M3 will beryllium lured distant from the petrol variant by the EV’s superior dynamics. 

The M3 EV was previewed by past month’s unveiling of the M Concept Neue Klasse. This represents a full translation of the forthcoming i3 electrical saloon, with its muscular plan drafting connected the M division’s sporting heritage.

But it volition besides beryllium sold alongside a new combustion-engined generation of the stalwart super-saloon, which was precocious caught investigating for the archetypal time. 

Its turbocharged 3.0-litre consecutive six has been updated to conscionable the Euro 7 emissions request without immoderate nonaccomplishment of powerfulness from the existent 503bhp.

Speaking to Autocar astatine the Goodwood Festival of Speed, van Meel said: “Now we are warring against [ourselves], due to the fact that with the all-electric M3 we are attacking our best-selling merchandise – the person successful its segment.

“We are besides moving connected a aboriginal procreation of [petrol] M3, but present we person an interior fight. We are conscionable pushing ourselves with the 2 antithetic powertrains, and it's a large contest.”

Key to the electrical M3’s engineering little is that it volition person four motors – but it won't simply pursuit header powerfulness and torque outputs, alternatively utilizing the antithetic statement to bolster its poise and agility successful pursuit of heightened operator engagement.

“It’s not astir having adjacent much power,” emphasised van Meel. “At the extremity of the day, you can’t enactment that down to the roadworthy anyway. You request to person capable powerfulness astatine each country of the car and we are utilizing 4 electrical motors, but you volition ne'er usage it astatine the aforesaid time.”

The BMW Vision Driving Experience prototype (pictured above), which previewed the method capabilities of aboriginal M cars, had a four-figure powerfulness output, but van Meel said drivers “don’t request 1000 horsepower” connected the road.

“It’s similar a kickboxer. You ne'er footwear with 2 legs. You tin person beardown arms and beardown legs, but you don’t usage them each astatine the aforesaid time. And it’s the aforesaid with 4 electrical motors.”

The M part is alternatively looking to unlock the dynamic payment brought by having four motors controlled by a cardinal computer, referred to arsenic the Heart of Joy.

“It’s insane what you tin bash with that technology,” said van Meel. “You tin bring much agility oregon stableness to the car. You tin brake the interior wheels, accelerate the outer ones and tin get retired of turns successful a wholly antithetic way. It’s a caller epoch of conveyance dynamics.”

He continued: “Power is thing without control. Of people you request a batch of powerfulness [in a show car], but you besides person to power power. If you conscionable propulsion retired a immense amount, you volition conscionable permission 4 stripes connected the Tarmac. In the champion case it’s inactive stable but really makes nary sense.”

Van Meel is assured that the caller capabilities brought by the quad-motor powertrain volition triumph implicit buyers successful the conflict betwixt the ICE and electrical M3s.

He said: “There mightiness beryllium customers who accidental they privation to person a combustion motor due to the fact that they similar the dependable oregon the looks or cannot complaint astatine home. That’s afloat okay. But if you're into racing oregon driving dynamics, you mightiness accidental the electrical 1 is the champion M3.” 

Van Meel joked that “in lawsuit of doubt, [customers can] bargain both” but added that BMW volition people some versions of the M3 astatine the aforesaid radical and “the lawsuit tin decide”.

As antecedently reported by Autocar, the M3 EV volition besides connection simulated gearchanges, but that volition nary longer beryllium paired with a simulated motor enactment inspired by historical M cars, said van Meel.

“We tried each the antithetic sounds: we had a high-revving V10 from the M5 (pictured above); a high-revving V8 from the M3; we adjacent tried the four-cylinder from the E30. But each dependable lone made consciousness for that circumstantial car. If you effort to enactment the dependable successful different car, the feeling is not right.”

The M part volition alternatively make a caller dependable inspired by the electrical motors – but this, said van Meel, “shouldn’t beryllium immoderate Captain Kirk spaceship sound, due to the fact that past you’re not connected”.

He said the dilemma is “philosophical” and that the M part is trying to “move ahead” successful replicating the “feeling” and “emotion” of an ICE car, alternatively than straight copying its character.

More broadly, van Meel said the determination to simulate the powerfulness transportation of a combustion motor and gearbox is intended to marque driving an electrical M3 much intuitive.

“If you’re connected the track, you privation to cognize however speedy you are. You request to person immoderate pedal consciousness and ratios that you are comfy with, truthful that you automatically cognize you are driving [for example] 100mph due to the fact that you are successful 3rd gear, because you cognize the deceleration and acceleration. That’s what you want.

“You tin of people transcript a gearbox, and it’s already rather emotional. That’s a bully idea. But we privation more."

Design reinvention

Fundamental to the plan of the adjacent M3 is “proportion”, said M part decorator Michael Scully, guiding Autocar astir the M concept.

“When we look astatine the caller powertrain determination are a precise antithetic acceptable of considerations packaging-wise, and we person worked precise hard to get the proportions to what our customers expect – that precise classical 2 and a fractional boxes with a precise agile, dynamic [stance].

“To find a proportionality that works for america is the archetypal bid of business, and we person a accidental to instrumentality it 1 measurement further successful presumption of boldness.”

Scully besides hinted astatine a cleaner, little fussy look for aboriginal M cars. “We are reducing them down to truly the show essence of the car. There’s a reductionism which, if done intelligently, means you tin get it down to what is genuinely indispensable from a show standpoint.

“That’s truly important successful racing, and we’re present approaching it the aforesaid mode successful our accumulation models.”

Scully described the caller attack arsenic “intelligent reduction”, as “whenever it turns into a decorative area, I don’t deliberation that’s a bully thing”.

Asked if that meant a determination distant from the ample grilles and assertive flares connected existent M cars, helium explained: “Intelligent simplification is important, but it’s besides astir emphasising functional elements.

“What’s truly important is that the elements we bash person – from an aerodynamic position – is the existent stuff, it’s not implied. That’s wherever the authenticity comes from. Our customers person incredibly educated eyes and they tin spot if we [jump the shark] connected performance. 

“It’s besides important to clasp the caller powertrain. For example, we’ve got 4 electrical motors, one connected each corner, truthful let’s pronounce that. It helps marque the cars look muscular and strong but it besides pronounces wherever the powertrain is.”

Scully drew on his acquisition shaping BMW’s contention cars successful devising the caller M3.

One illustration of his new, much purposeful attack is the monolithic double-decker diffuser mounted astatine the rear of the M Concept Neue Klasse.

This, Scully explained, was inspired by the racing M3s fielded successful the GT2 and GT3 classes implicit the years. Those cars commercialized a accepted exhaust for side-exit systems, opening up abstraction for a much assertive rear diffuser, needed to make downforce connected track.

Replicating this plan connected the road-going M cars of the past wouldn't person been possible, lest drivers oregon passengers pain their legs connected introduction oregon exit aft a spirited drive. But when you dispense of an motor successful its entirety, and truthful besides an exhaust, that frees up country for specified an aerodynamic package. 

“We don’t person that [exhaust] requirement, truthful let’s unfastened it up and observe the accidental that we person now,” said Scully.

“We person a double-decker layout for the diffuser with a main [section] and an aerofoil crossed the bottom. The floating aerofoil helps to negociate the flow. With aerodynamics, there’s ne'er 1 standalone element: it’s ever a constellation of things that impact each other.

“For example, that diffuser interacts importantly with the duck-tail spoiler, truthful that’s a constellation; that’s wherever a batch of downforce comes.

“I emotion downforce, due to the fact that that’s the happening that, from a driving sensation standpoint, allows you to bash things which your intuition says you can’t.

"When a car does that, when it enables the operator to acquisition those things their intuition tells them is impossible, I deliberation we’ve landed successful a large space.”

Indeed, prototypes of the adjacent combustion-engined M3 person revealed a smaller rear diffuser than their electrical counterparts, owing to the beingness of M's signature quad-tip exhaust.

Scully besides highlighted the large, heavy vent successful the concept’s raked bonnet. This is utilized to chill the 4 motors’ front-mounted radiator, but specified a salient diagnostic would not person been imaginable were it not electric.

“Normally you would person a large motor close determination and there’s nary mode you could person those ducts, but present we can,” helium said.

Notably, the M conception dispenses with the hook-like broadside mirrors that person been a fixture of the M3 since the E36 generation.

This, said Scully, is different manifestation of motorsport-inspired design: “M customers implicit the years person travel to cognize and emotion the cars for having this hook that points backmost toward the centreline of the car. But what we discovered was that if we crook the fin vertically, it's really much businesslike and brings tiny gains.”

Meanwhile, the car’s main-beam lights are mounted debased and wide connected the M Concept’s flanks. These are inspired by the M Hybrid V8, the BMW hypercar that raced successful past month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Meanwhile, the yellowish positional lights – antecedently exclusive to the rare-groove CS versions of the M3 and M5, positive the M4 CSL – notation the headlamp colour cars are mandated to usage successful the American GTD racing class.

Although the M Concept exploits BMW’s sporting heritage, the institution does not presently physique an electrical contention car.

Asked whether determination is simply a dissonance betwixt drafting connected ICE cars for the plan of an EV, Scully said: “I don’t deliberation it makes it much difficult; it makes it much meaningful.

"I deliberation the crushed this car resonates is that radical tin spot we clasp our practice with motorsport and our ongoing engagement with it and are capable to construe it into an electrified future.”