Days after announcing an electric M3, BMW is keen to remind us that engines still have a future at M. New spy images of the gasoline-powered M3 show a “G84” test mule covered in camouflage from front to back. You can easily tell from the curved fenders on both axles that this is not the smaller M Performance version. It also appears to have larger air intakes than the M340i replacement M350 that we’ll see later this year.
The next-generation 3 Series (G50) in M-Lite design has also been spotted again and again, and we noticed that something was missing. Both M variants appear to be missing the M-specific mirrors, but BMW may be saving these for near-production prototypes. On the other hand, the fresh design language of the Neue Klasse favors a minimalist approach. Eschewing the flashy M mirrors in favor of a sleeker appearance would be in keeping with the company’s focus on tidy design.
Elsewhere, the wider rear tires are a tell-tale sign that we’re looking at the full-fat M3. A quad exhaust system was also spotted on M350 prototypes, but the structure is different here. The two pairs are positioned closer to the center of the bumper. On the M Performance prototypes, the tips were further apart, near the rear bumper corners.
Although this is a test model and not all the final parts are available yet, the design of the new class immediately catches the eye. The official reveal is scheduled for sometime in 2028, but we’ll get a good look at the design much sooner. The eighth-generation 3 Series debuts later this year, complete with an M350 as one of the versions available at launch. The not-quite-M car will transform into a full-fledged M3 with beefier fenders, wider tracks and more meat on the tires.
It would have been great to see the new M3 in 2026, when the original E30 model celebrates its 40th anniversary. Still, the fact that we’re getting a new M3 with a combustion engine at all should be enough to make enthusiasts happy. BMW has already confirmed a “new type of six-cylinder engine”. It won’t be a V6, but most likely a mild hybrid version of the “S58”. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine needs to be electrified to meet Euro 7 regulations.
Although today’s G80 is available with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive, we’re not sure if the successor will be. Our sources close to BMW have suggested that the G84 may be a purely automatic affair and xDrive exclusive. Hopefully insiders will be proven wrong and the clutch pedal will be retained for another M3 generation.
We should realistically assume that the G84 will be the last M3 with a combustion engine. Production is reportedly expected to begin in the second half of 2028 and end at the end of 2034. That would give the car a relatively short life cycle, but this data is not set in stone. With the European Union lifting its ban on the sale of new gasoline cars from 2035, BMW would have the freedom to expand production of ICE models.
Currently, the G84 is the only next-generation M car with a gasoline engine that BMW has confirmed. However, the X5 M and X6 M are expected to retain ICE performance in the future generations G95 and G96 respectively. The high-performance SUVs with V8 engines will arrive later this decade, then electric M derivatives will be added.
