BMW CEO Frank Van Meel has confirmed to BimmerToday.de that the gas powered G84 BMW M3 will continue for one more generation alongside an all new electric BMW M3. Perhaps just as important, there are signs that the gas powered M3 might retain the manual transmission.

With BMW accelerating its electrification plans and a trademark for the iM3 on file, it looked like we might be bidding farewell to the BMW M3 as we know it. However BMW M CEO Frank van Meel confirmed in a recent German interview that another generation of the gasoline-powered M3 is on the way—complete with the beloved S58 engine that has won over fans for years.

Van Meel revealed the news in an interview with the German outlet BimmerToday.de. Previously, it was widely expected that the Neue Klasse-based electric M3, reportedly codenamed ZAO, would replace the internal combustion version entirely. While van Meel acknowledged that the upcoming quad-motor M3 could outpace its gas-powered sibling on the track, he emphasized that the M3’s traditional powertrain isn’t going anywhere just yet.

BMW is working to ensure that the current M3’s 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged S58 inline-six meets the stringent Euro 7 emissions standards, which are set to take effect in the summer of 2025. This engine powers a significant portion of BMW M’s sales, and van Meel reportedly indicated that as long as BMW can maintain profitability, the S58 will remain part of the lineup.

The Death of the Gas Powered M4

Interestingly what won’t make it is the gas powered M4. BMW is set to kill the gas powered 4 series altogether replacing it with the electric 4 Series which will spawn an electric iM4. That will leave the M3 has the only gas powered mid-sized M3.

G87 BMW M2

The M2 To Replace the M4?

While we this isn’t confirmed, we have heard from some sources that BMW intends to make one more generation of the M2 powered by the S58. With the gas powered M4 going away, it could make solid business sense for BMW to heavily revise the M2 and create one more gas powered generation. It could allow for economies of scale with the S58 and could be relatively inexpensive given that it wouldn’t be an all new car.

The move could also allow it to retain the manual which Frank Van Meel did confirm would stick around but refused to say what model it would appear in. A manual M2 could make more sense than a manual M3 given the expectation for the M3 to continue to gain power and even potentially switch exclusively to xDrive (all of which make a manual less likely).

We expect to see the next generation BMW M3 (G84) in late 2027 or early 2028. Look for the electric M4 to debut around the same time. As always we’ll have more as we get it.