The head of BMW’s M division has put an end to speculation that the “iM3” badge will be used on an electric version of the company’s famous M3 sports car.
The name of the first electric car from the German automaker’s high-performance M division appears to have been unearthed when an “iM3” trademark was filed earlier this week.
The letter “i” has been used as a prefix for BMW’s electric models since the launch of the i3 and i8 last decade.
Now, Performance M division CEO Frank van Meel has firmly told Top Gear that the registered “iM3” name will not be used for the electric version of the BMW M3.
“We would never use an ‘i’ on an ‘M’, even if it was electric,” Mr van Meer told British magazine Top Gear.
“Because the M3 has four-cylinder engines, six-cylinder engines, eight-cylinder engines; naturally aspirated, turbocharged. Now it even has xDrive, but it’s always been an M3.”
While the name has been ruled out, an electric M3 has not yet been ruled out, with Mr van Meer himself telling online magazine Ars Technica that the M Division is developing a range of electric cars.
These comments come from BMW development chief Frank Weber, who told British publication Autocar in September 2023 that “the next M3 will be battery-electric – fully battery-electric.”
Mr van Meer’s refusal to use the “iM3” name suggests the next-generation BMW M3 will not change its name, even if it switches to electrification.
