BMW will sell combustion X3 alongside new iX3, but only the iX is rumored to get an M version
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by Chris Chilton
2 hours ago
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by Chris Chilton
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If you like the idea a gutsy six-cylinder M3 wrapped up in an SUV body, you better move fast: BMW might replace the current X3M with an electric iX3M, according to a report.
BMW’s electrification strategy shifts up a virtual gear in the middle of this decade when the company begins to roll out its Neue Klasse platform starting in 2025. It will use the architecture on multiple cars and SUVs, but one of the first to get the new hardware is the next-generation electric iX3, which will be sold alongside a combustion X3 that will look basically the same on the outside, but be built around an evolution of the current CLAR platform.
A recent report by BMW Blog suggested that unlike the X3, its X4 coupe-crossover brother might not get a combustion model, and will only be sold as an EV. And now the same source claims that the X3M might also only be available as an EV.
The current X3M borrows its S58 turbocharged six-cylinder engine from the M3 and M4 Competition sedan and coupe, and sends 503 hp (510 PS) to all four wheels. BMW Blog doesn’t mention a potential power figure for an EV replacement, but logically suggests it will be more powerful than the outgoing combustion version.
The website offers no quotes from sources to back up its claim and BMW itself refuses to comment on speculative stories, so there’s no guarantee that this one is 100 percent accurate. But it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. We have no doubt that BMW will build a fast M-branded electric version of the next X3, but since we know the company is committed to a multi-fuel strategy and is not going all-in on EVs like some other brands are, though it would seem like a bold move to abandon combustion-loving fast SUV buyers, and not even offer a hybrid.
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Do you think anyone would miss the gas-powered X3M, or would you be happy with an EV version?
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