Remember this codename: “ZA0.” It’s been attributed to the first true M model without a combustion engine. We’ve already seen spy shots of the electric performance sedan, but we’re bringing something perhaps even better today. A video shot by professional automotive paparazzi, CarSpyMedia, shows an eerily quiet electric M3 testing in snowy Scandinavia.
We think it’s hiding the production body with an all-new look shaped by the Neue Klasse design language. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice the electric M3 doesn’t appear to have the final headlights and taillights. It also lacks M-specific mirrors unless BMW changes the shape of the mirror caps. Thankfully, the obnoxiously tall kidney grille of the G80 is gone.
The overall proportions look promising, and we’d dare say that the electric M3 is smaller than the G80. Considering the prototype rides on a dedicated platform intended exclusively for EVs, it’s possible. It has shorter overhangs, and maybe the entire front section has been downsized as well after getting rid of the gas engine. The bulging wheel arches denote that this isn’t a regular i3 sedan (NA0). A subtle trunk lid spoiler is also noticeable.
When the car stands still at the 1:49 mark, the man with the camera peeks inside the cabin. There’s a large central screen, but we’re not entirely sure it belongs to the car. It could be linked to the testing equipment BMW mounted on the prototype. If it’s the electric M3’s iDrive X infotainment, it measures 17.9 inches. Either way, a secondary display is installed on the passenger side.
Although the test car gives the sensation that it’s just months away from peeling off the camo, the debut won’t occur anytime soon. BMW will start pre-production of the standard i3 sedan this year, but vehicles for customers won’t be produced until later in 2026. We can confidently say that the M3 EV isn’t coming before 2027.
Roughly a year later, it will be joined by a gas-fueled M3 (G84) with an already confirmed inline-six engine. However, the M3 ICE will reportedly be sold only with an automatic transmission and xDrive.
Source: CarSpyMedia / YouTube