BMW M boss rejects iM3 speculation: “We would never use an i on an M”

The CEO of BMW’s M division Frank van Meel has poured ice cold water on the idea that a future electric M3 - or any electric M car, for that matter - will ever be prefaced with the company’s EV ‘i’ badge.

Reports that BMW had trademarked the name iM3 first emerged back in September and have resurfaced again this week, but speaking at the 2023 TopGear.com Awards on Tuesday night, Van Meel confirmed that an M3 will always be a plain old M3.

Asked if BMW could develop a successor to the i8 (and why not call it the iM1 or Mi for good measure?) Van Meel replied: “No, that will be a Mission Impossible! Actually, we would never use an i on an M, even though it would be electric.

“Because an M3 had a four-cylinder, six-cylinder, eight-cylinder engine; naturally aspirated, turbocharged ones. Now it’s even got an xDrive, but it always remained an M3.

“So if we would ever do something like that, it will always be called an M without an i. Because that’s just the technology, and M is not about technology.

“It’s about a promise, it’s about motorsports, it’s about emotion. It’s not about the drivetrain.”

And as for an electrified supercar specifically, Van Meel said he and his team were “always dreaming about a car like that” but for now, it’s a no. “It’s in our hearts, it’s in our minds. As car guys and car girls, we’re always thinking and trying out cars like that. But I cannot say yes to you.”

So there you go. Meanwhile, the M division boss also gave us some insight into the arrival of the M3 Touring, which was launched earlier in 2023 after years and years of campaigning from enthusiasts the world over.

“I [wish] I could tell you some kind of a romantic story about how that all happened," he explained. “But actually it came from the team itself, who said 'I think it’s about time, we can make a Touring which is actually cool and drives like an M3', but offers more everyday suitability to all the customers. And actually it shouldn’t cost that much and I think the market is quite big.

“And once that happened and everyone was happy - and you see how the car’s performing on the market - the second step to say ‘Why not make a bigger one as well?’ was quite clear and easier then.”

Yep, we can't wait for the new M5 Touring either...

Additional reporting by Callum Alexander