---
title: "The BMW M3 Will Keep Its Gas Engine for at Least One More Generation"
description: "The BMW M3 isn't trading its turbo inline-six for batteries this decade. Instead, BMW will rework its S58 engine to be emissions-compliant."
date: "2024-10-10"
modified: "2024-10-10"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-bmw-m3-will-keep-its-gas-engine-for-at-least-one-more-generation"
categories:
  - "BMW News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "BMW"
  - "luxury"
  - "m3"
  - "sedan"
  - "sports car"
---

# The BMW M3 Will Keep Its Gas Engine for at Least One More Generation

![2025 BMW M3](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/P90551008_highRes_the-new-bmw-m3-sedan.jpg>)
*\<em\>Enes Kucevic Photography via BMW\</em\>*

With [BMW](<https://www.thedrive.com/category/bmw-news>) leaning into electrification and an [iM3 trademark on the books](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/bmw-trademarks-im3-name-for-upcoming-electric-sport-sedan>), for a while it seemed like we were about to say goodbye to the [BMW M3](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/2025-bmw-3-series-brings-more-power-to-m3-and-m340i>) as we know it. A nearly 40-year German performance stalwart, its traditional combustion engine abandoned for a bundle of batteries! But you needn't worry any longer, as the CEO of BMW M just confirmed in a German interview that another generation of gas-burning M3 is coming—and with the superb S58 engine people have loved for years.

Frank van Meel dropped the detail in an interview with German outlet [*BimmerToday.de*](<https://www.bimmertoday.de/2024/10/10/frank-van-meel-nachster-bmw-m3-als-elektro-und-verbrenner/>). For a time, it was anticipated that the [Neue Klasse](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/new-vision-neue-klasse-x-concept-reinvents-bmws-electric-suvs>)-based electric M3 (reportedly codenamed ZA0) would outright replace the ICE model. Van Meel expects the quad-motor EV to be quicker around a track than the fossil-fueled version, but the fact that the gas model will survive is good enough news in its own right.

![BMW S58 engine in the M4](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/P90548586_highRes_the-all-new-bmw-m4-c.jpg>)
*BMW S58 engine in the M4. *BMW* UWE FISCHER*

As for that engine, van Meel said [BMW](<https://www.thedrive.com/category/bmw-reviews>) is working to make the current model's 3.0-liter, twin-turbo S58 inline-six compliant with next-generation Euro 7 emissions standards when they take effect in summer 2025. S58-powered cars comprise the meat of M sales, so van Meel reportedly said that this engine (and the cars it powers) won't go away as long as BMW can keep turning a profit off of them. [*BMW Blog*](<https://www.bmwblog.com/2024/10/10/bmw-confirms-next-gen-m3-gas-engine/>) also reported van Meel confirming that the M3 will continue to offer a manual; however, this powertrain will emphatically *not* carry forward to a new generation of [M4](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-2025-bmw-m4-cs-is-the-quickest-accelerating-m4-of-them-all>). The 4 Series itself is expected to drop its internal combustion engine, and [the i4 will pick up where it leaves off](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/2023s-best-selling-bmw-m-car-was-the-i4-m50-ev>).

Believed to enter production in the late 2020s, the next-gen M3 may be the last in what will become a more than four-decade legacy for one of Germany's oldest performance nameplates. It would still be a surprise if BMW retained six cylinders in the M3 rather than downsizing to four, considering tighter Euro 8 emissions regulations waiting in the wings. The M3 got its start with the four-banger [E30](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/35045/this-e30-bmw-m3-just-sold-for-250000-on-bring-a-trailer-your-brain-is-now-on-fire>), so it wouldn't be a sin for it to return to its roots. So long as it doesn't [weigh as much as the new M5](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-new-bmw-m5-is-heavier-than-an-x5-slower-than-the-old-m5-to-60>), anyway.

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com*

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)