Future BMW M3 Touring Blends Petrol Muscle With EV Tech Edge

BMW’s performance estate is not going anywhere – in fact, the next-generation M3 Touring is set to grow into a proper two-branch family. BMW has confirmed that the successor to today’s M3 will once again be offered as both saloon and Touring, but this time with a choice of powertrains: a combustion-engined M3 with hybrid assistance, and a fully electric iM3 that shares much of its hardware with BMW’s Neue Klasse models. Given how quickly the current M3 Touring has built a loyal following, the decision to keep an estate in the line-up feels like a natural next step rather than a gamble.

Under the bonnet of the petrol car, the familiar in-line six is due to remain at the heart of the package, paired with turbochargers and some form of electrification. The smart money is on a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to trim emissions and give the engine an extra shove under hard acceleration, without radically changing the character of the straight six. A more complex plug-in set-up, similar to the larger M5, has been floated but looks less likely now that an all-electric sibling is on the way. Either way, the recipe is clear: keep the revvy, muscular feel of the current motor, then layer on extra response and efficiency.

The electric iM3 Touring will take a very different approach. Prototypes have already been pounding around the Nürburgring with flared arches and serious rubber, hiding a four-motor layout that delivers fully variable all-wheel drive. Power figures are rumoured to be nudging the four-figure mark, which would put the iM3 into territory normally occupied by supercars, yet with the usability and load space of a family estate. With each wheel driven individually, engineers will be able to shape the car’s behaviour in corners with huge precision, from secure traction in poor weather to properly rear-biased antics when there is space to let it breathe.

Crucially, the Touring body is not just a sideshow. BMW’s M boss has been clear that demand for fast estates is strong enough to justify continuing them alongside the saloons, with the current M5 already enjoying a roughly even split between both shapes. That enthusiasm from buyers has helped protect the M3 Touring from any rationalisation as the Neue Klasse generation rolls in, even with other performance SUVs and crossovers jostling for space in the range. For keen drivers who need room for bikes, dogs or family clutter, it means the dream of a genuinely rapid M car with a square-backed tailgate will live on in both petrol-hybrid and pure-electric form.

Taken together, the next M3 line-up looks set to offer two distinct flavours built around a common theme of pace and practicality. One will keep the traditional cues alive: a straight-six engine, a rich soundtrack and the familiar rhythm of gearshifts, now backed up by clever hybrid tech. The other will push BMW M deep into the electric era with instant torque, sophisticated torque vectoring and silent, long-distance running. Wrap both in a handsome estate shell as well as a saloon, and the M3 badge seems ready to bridge the gap between combustion and battery power rather than being defined by just one or the other.