The first all-electric car tuned by BMW M will be more powerful than the 2021 BMW M3.
With 390kW of power from its dual-motor all-wheel drive system, the 2021 BMW i4 M will be 15kW more powerful than the range-topping BMW M3 Competition.
The i4 M will hit 100km/h in just four seconds from standstill, which means the M3 Competition still has bragging rights over its plug-in brother… albeit by only 0.1 seconds.
Claimed range is 600km on the tougher WLTP test cycle, and the i4 Concept’s top speed was 200km/h.
It’s no surprise the M3 is still the (slightly) faster four-door BMW. M GmbH boss Markus Flasch and his engineers have confirmed they’re working on an M Performance version of the upcoming Tesla Model 3 rival, but it won’t be a proper motorsports car.
Instead, it will be a faster version of a mainstream model without a track focus, in a similar vein to the M340i xDrive.
Under the skin, the i4 will have a unique suspension tune with active dampers that automatically tense to keep the body in check when the driver accelerates hard.
With a long wheelbase, wide tracks, and unique camber compared to the related 4 Series Gran Coupe, BMW says the i4 has been tuned to feel sharp on the move.
The i4 will be revealed in the coming months before production kicks off in November this year.
Although it’s developing M Performance electric vehicles, BMW isn’t ready to do a proper M EV just yet.
“The technology that we’re looking at on the high-performance side will take some more years to come. You can imagine weight will play a significant role in it,” said Markus Flasch.
“Of course, driving dynamically – chassis controlling, powertrain controlling – there are opportunities within electrified powertrains, very much within the control systems.
“This is something that needs further development. If you imagine, today we have an engine and a friction-based brake. If you think about using an electric engine for both directions, and what you can do with multiple engines, then you probably know where we are going.”
