Following the late-year rollout of the second-generation iX3 Neue Klasse, the spring arrival of the i3 Neue Klasse sedan, and the recent unveiling of the radical M Concept Neue Klasse, BMW is currently preparing its assembly lines for a massive summer blockbuster: the sixth generation of the omnipresent X5 crossover.
Testing is entering its final, exhausting phase, and BMW has wasted no time bragging about a powertrain lineup that looks less like a focused strategy and more like a desperate attempt to hedge every single technological bet available. Buyers will be treated to an absurd buffet of five distinct choices: gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, pure battery-electric, and a hydrogen fuel cell variant.
With the X5 sucking up all the summer oxygen, BMW is clear to turn the autumn calendar into a purist’s playground, shifting focus to the next-generation internal combustion 3 Series and the highly anticipated M3.
While the internet rumor mill has been churning at maximum velocity, BMW M boss Frank Van Meel recently handed the automotive community some incredibly juicy validation via Piston Heads. The CEO explicitly ruled out the possibility of BMW mimicking the heavy, overly complex plug-in hybrid setups utilized by the Audi RS 5 sedan and Avant. Instead, Munich is keeping its legendary S58 twin-turbo straight-six alive through the impending Euro 7 execution block by utilizing a clever piece of motorsport sorcery: “M Ignite”, a newly developed pre-chamber ignition system that will begin hitting current M3 and M4 high-performance models before the end of this year.
This upgraded S58 setup will form the backbone of the next-generation combustion-powered M3 and M4, though the mechanical recipe will experience a distinct geopolitical split. In Europe, the inline-six will inevitably be shackled to mild-hybrid technology to satisfy environmental bureaucrats. Across the Atlantic, however, American enthusiasts might skip this clinical compromise entirely, potentially receiving a clean, unadulterated gasoline configuration alongside the battery-electric alternative.
The upcoming all-electric Neue Klasse M3 will push torque vectoring and vehicle dynamics to absolute extremes. Rather than building a heavy EV designed merely to win trivial, straight-line stoplight drag races, Van Meel promises an architecture optimized entirely for track-day dominance.
