The sixth-generation BMW M3 is due to launch sometime in Autumn this year, which means there’s at least two more months of waiting. To keep the eager fans excited, BMW has now given us an official first look at the upcoming M3 while it undergoes testing at Nurburgring.
We’ll address the the topic everyone seems to be the most interested in first – the next-generation BMW M3 does not look like it will be sporting the large buckteeth grilles as seen on the all-new 4 Series.
Although heavily camouflaged, the front grille on the upcoming sixth-generation BMW M3 seems to be directly lifted from the current 3 Series. Keep in mind though that this is still a pre-production, so the final product might differ completely.
Otherwise, the exterior design (as far as we can see now) is pretty much everything you’d expect from an M car, such as the aggressively-widened fenders, larger air intakes, and the quad exhaust set-up that we’ve seen before on previously-leaked spy shots.
In the video, BMW M head of driving dynamics system, Christian Flessa also confirmed officially that the sixth-generation BMW M3 will be available with the marque’s M xDrive all-wheel drive system – a first for the iconic M3.
There’s no confirmation yet if this system will be similar to that of the BMW M5 where 100% of the drive can be sent to the rear wheels, but the purists need not raise their pitchforks yet as the sixth-generation BMW M3 will also be offered with a rear-wheel drive only option.
As expected, the sixth-generation BMW M3 will be offered with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, though BMW has already previously confirmed that a manual option was also in the works.
The video does not mention the powertrain under the hood of the upcoming M3, though we expect to see the same S58 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine from the X3 M and X4 M to make its appearance here.
