Days after teasing an electric M3, BMW is eager to remind us that engines still have a future at M. New spy shots of the gasoline-fueled M3 reveal a test mule of the “G84,” wrapped in camouflage from front to rear. You can easily tell it’s not the lesser M Performance version by the bulging fenders at both axles. It also appears to have larger air intakes than the M340i-replacing M350 we’ll see later this year.
The next-generation 3 Series (G50) in M Lite guise has also been spotted repeatedly, and we’ve noticed something missing. Both M flavors appear to do away with the M-specific mirrors, but BMW might be saving those for near-production prototypes. Then again, the fresh design language ushered in by Neue Klasse favors a minimalist approach. Dropping the look-at-me M mirrors in favor of a more streamlined look would align with the company’s focus on decluttering design.
Elsewhere, the wider rear tires are a telltale sign we’re dealing with the full-fat M3. A quad exhaust system has also been spotted on M350 prototypes, but the setup here is different. The two pairs are positioned closer to the center of the bumper. On the M Performance prototypes, the tips were farther apart, near the rear bumper corners.
Although this is a test mule and doesn’t have all the final bits in place, the Neue Klasse design is immediately obvious. The official reveal is scheduled for sometime in 2028, but we’ll get a good understanding of the design much sooner. The eighth-generation 3 Series premieres later this year, complete with an M350 as one of the versions available at launch. The not-quite-M car will morph into a full-blown M3 with beefier fenders, wider tracks, and more meat on the tires.
It would’ve been great to see the new M3 in 2026, when the original E30 model celebrates its 40th anniversary. Even so, the fact that we’re even getting a new M3 with a combustion engine should be plenty to please enthusiasts. 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 twin-turbo, 3.0-liter unit needs to be electrified to pass Euro 7 regulations.
Although today’s G80 can be had with a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, we’re not sure that will be the case with its successor. Our sources close to BMW have indicated the G84 could be an automatic-only affair and exclusively xDrive. Hopefully, insiders will be proven wrong, and the clutch pedal will stick around for another M3 generation.
We should realistically expect the G84 to be the final M3 with a combustion engine. Production is reportedly set to start in the second half of 2028 and end in late 2034. That would give the car a relatively short life cycle, but those dates are not set in stone. With the European Union reverting its sales ban on new gas cars from 2035, BMW would have the freedom to extend production of ICE models.
For now, the G84 is the only next-generation M car with a gas engine that BMW has confirmed. However, the X5 M and X6 M are also expected to keep ICE power in the future G95 and G96 generations, respectively. The high-performance SUVs with V8 engines are coming later this decade, when they’ll be joined by electric M derivatives.
