BMW M3 Leads Petrol Push That Bankrolls Battery Revolution

BMW has placed the forthcoming BMW M3 at the centre of a renewed pledge to keep petrol engines turning even as the firm ramps up its battery-electric portfolio. Speaking from the Steyr engine works in Austria, plant boss Klaus von Moltke underlined that traditional powertrains remain the financial bedrock of Munich’s product plan, paying the bills for the Neue Klasse EVs arriving over the next decade. His message is clear: the inline-six and V-8 units still matter, and they will be engineered to meet tighter Euro 7 limits while funding tomorrow’s kilowatt-hungry saloons and SUVs.

Development has not stalled at the test bench. Engineers are trialling HVO100 renewable diesel in modern compression-ignition blocks, claiming a dramatic drop in CO? output without sacrificing cold-start reliability or long-haul stamina. Petrol units are also being re-mapped with mild-hybrid support, ensuring that the next M3 retains its signature straight-six note while trimming emissions to satisfy regulators. Meanwhile, electric motor assemblies for the next-generation iX3 and iM3 have begun pilot production in a neighbouring hall, proof that both driveline paths can progress together.

BMW forecasts a fifty-fifty sales split between internal combustion and electric models by 2030. That goal might appear bold when battery cars currently account for roughly a fifth of deliveries, yet management insists flexible factories and modular drivetrains leave the company ready for any policy change. Should the European ban on new petrol and diesel cars arrive in 2035, the firm says it will be able to pivot; if legislation softens, it will still have a robust catalogue of refined, efficient engines.

For enthusiasts, the headline is simple: a fresh petrol BMW M3—complete with an uprated straight-six and likely hybrid assistance—is in the pipeline, and the larger M5 sticks with a plug-in hybrid V-8. Those units, and millions of tamer siblings beneath them, will keep funding battery research, charging infrastructure partnerships and lightweight natural-fibre composites destined for forthcoming electric saloons. In BMW’s eyes, the combustion engine is not a relic but the launch pad for the next era, with the M3 acting as its most vocal ambassador on road and track alike.