Apparently, BMW has decided that one powertrain just isn't enough for their iconic sports saloon. They’ve cooked up a plan that's about as straightforward as a politician's expense report. Frank van Meel, the big cheese over at BMW M, has let the cat out of the bag about the Next BMW M3 powertrain. And let me tell you, it's a doozy. They're not just giving us one Next BMW M3 powertrain, but two. That's right, two! It's like going to a restaurant and being told you can have your cake and eat it too. On one hand, we've got the electric Next BMW M3 powertrain. Now, I know what you're thinking. "An electric M3? Has the world gone mad?" Well, yes, it probably has, but that's beside the point. This electric Next BMW M3 powertrain isn't just any old battery-powered nonsense. Oh no, it's got four motors. FOUR! To be fair, does this landyacht NEED four motors? Probably yes, otherwise a 20 year old Yukon will probably lap it in a quarter mile. It's like they've taken the idea of all-wheel drive and thought, "You know what? Let's double it." This electric Next BMW M3 powertrain is supposed to churn out a whopping 1,341 horsepower. That's not a typo. That's "blow your socks off and possibly your entire wardrobe" levels of power. It's the kind of Next BMW M3 powertrain that begs the question: why? Most city limits will forbid ever getting even close to the redline on the engines, so who's going to be driving these? But wait, there's more! Because BMW, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to keep the petrol-powered Next BMW M3 powertrain as well. It's like they're hedging their bets, isn't it? "Electric cars are the future... but just in case they're not, here's a good old-fashioned internal combustion engine for you." This petrol Next BMW M3 powertrain will keep the current twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6. It's like BMW looked at their engine and thought, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just make it jump through hoops to meet emissions regulations." And jump through hoops it will, as the engineers are apparently working overtime to make sure this Next BMW M3 powertrain can still be sold in places like the EU, where they seem to think cars should run on fairy dust and good intentions. Now, here's where it gets interesting. The electric Next BMW M3 powertrain will be based on BMW's new Neue Klasse platform. It sounds very posh, doesn't it? Like something you'd order at a fancy German restaurant. "I'll have the Neue Klasse, please, with a side of horsepower." Meanwhile, the petrol Next BMW M3 powertrain will likely use an updated version of the current CLAR platform. It's like BMW is running two parallel universes - one where electricity rules supreme, and another where petrol still reigns king. But here's the kicker - van Meel has hinted that the electric Next BMW M3 powertrain might come with simulated gear shifts. That's right, they're going to make an electric car pretend to have gears. It's like giving a fish a bicycle. Utterly pointless, but somehow amusing. The idea, apparently, is to give the driver a sense of how fast they're going without having to look at the speedometer. Because, you know, when you're hurtling down the Autobahn at speeds that would make your grandmother faint, the last thing you want to do is take your eyes off the road to check how fast you're going. So there you have it. The Next BMW M3 powertrain, in all its split-personality glory. On one side, we have an electric powerhouse that's trying its best to impersonate a petrol car. On the other, we have a petrol engine desperately trying to convince EU regulators that it's as clean as a whistle. It's a brave new world for the M3, and one that's about as confusing as a roundabout in Swindon. Will it work? Will BMW manage to please both the electric evangelists and the petrolheads? Only time will tell. But one thing's for certain - the Next BMW M3 powertrain, whether it's electric or petrol, is going to be anything but boring. And in a world where cars are becoming increasingly sanitized and soulless, that's something to celebrate.
