This past year was an interesting one for BMW. Cars like the M8 Gran Coupe, M2 CS, M235i Gran Coupe and X3 M have all been released, making it an impactful year for the brand. However, next year will be even bigger and could potential set BMW for years to come. It could be the first major stepping stone toward the future. So let’s take a look at the top BMWs to look forward to in 2020.

BMW M3/M4

There’s quite a lot of controversy surrounding the next-gen BMW M3/M4, mostly due to their design. More specifically, their grille design. The next-gen M3/M4 will sport an all-new grille design that will act as a massive departure from the rest of the brand’s lineup. Both cars will get a grille design similar to the Concept 4 that BMW showed off in Frankfurt.

The grille design features two massive kidneys that vertically span from the hood line to the ground, it seems. They’re enormous, comically so. While some fans will appreciate how bold BMW is for this new design, there will also be a lot of disappointed fans. Still, it’s going to be a very interesting car moving forward.

Rendering by @avarvarii

Aside from the grille, though, the BMW M3/M4 will have the brand’s new S58 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged inline-six engine. It will also be the first M car to be offered with two different drivetrain setups; the standard cars will be rear-wheel drive with either six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic and will make 473 hp. Competition-spec cars will get all-wheel drive, an automatic gearbox and 503 hp.

BMW iX3

BMW just announced some preliminary specs on the upcoming iX3 and it seems like it’s set up to be a good electric crossover. Personally, I’m cautiously optimistic about it, as its specs sound promising. However, whether or not it’s successful will come down to pricing. Still, it will be the brand’s first all-electric vehicle of any kind since the i3 debuted back in 2014. That in itself is a big deal.

The iX3 will also come with the Bavarians’ new electric powertrain, which uses no rare-Earth materials and is the future of the brand. It will also pack a 286 hp electric motor at the rear axle, a 74 kWh battery pack and a range of over 440 km (273 miles). So it should be a solid EV offering.

BMW iNEXT Concept

While the iX3 is the brand’s first EV since the i3, the BMW iNEXT is the future of the brand. We recently spoke about how the Bavarians haven’t been as innovative as maybe they should be but the iNEXT is their chance to redeem themselves. Enthusiasts mock the iNEXT Concept, as it’s an oddball car with silly futuristic features.

However, the final product will not only be hugely important for the brand but will also be one of the most interesting and forward thinking car to come from BMW in a long time. According to BMW insiders, it will be feature the brand’s most advanced electric and autonomous tech available.

Admittedly, we won’t actually see the final production iNEXT in 2020 but we’re likely to see a concept car that’s much closer to production than the previous Vision Concept. So like it or not, the iNEXT will be a big deal.

G21 / G22 BMW 4 Series

After the success of the G20-generation BMW 3 Series, we’re very excited to see the upcoming 4 Series. It will obviously be based on the new 3 Series but will be a two-door coupe with very sexy styling. Just from the few spy photos we’ve seen of the car, we can tell that the next-gen 4 Series will be properly pretty. Its roofline is sleek, its proportions are just right and it has a baby-8 Series thing going on that all combine to make it far more interesting than the new 3 Series.

Under the skin, it’s likely not going to differ much from its four-door sibling but that’s no bad thing. The new 3 Series is a great car and one that we’re big fans of. So if the new 4 Series is the same to drive, just prettier, sign us up.

BMW X8

One of the most interesting cars that will be revealed by the Bavarians in 2020 will be the upcoming BMW X8. Now, it won’t release the final production version in 2020, but we’ll either see some sort of concept version or it might be revealed fully later in the year. The production model is scheduled for sometimes in 2021-2022.

What makes the new BMW X8 so fascinating is the fact that it’s going to be a bespoke M model, something Bimmer fans have been begging the M Division to do for ages.

While it is going to be a bespoke M Division product (meaning it’s not based on any series-production BMW), it’s going to be a sporty SUV, which is a bit disappointing for some. The idea of a bespoke M car brings about visions of a small, delicate sports car, something to take on the Porsche Cayman or Alpine A110.

Instead, we’re getting something to take on… the BMW X6 M? Still, it should be very exciting and the X8 is any successful, it might spring BMW M to make more bespoke models, so we might actually get that Cayman-fighter in the future.