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Next BMW M3 sedan to be plug-in hybrid?

BMW has a lot in mind for the next-generation 3 Series and 4 Series cars, and we're hearing about it now even though they're not expected for another three or four years. The sedan is expected to be lighter, wider, with a longer wheelbase and a lower center of gravity. Rumored tech updates include the water injection system debuted in production on the BMW 1 Series, and the 4 Series convertible might go back to a fabric top. Now The Detroit Bureau reports BMW insiders have revealed that the next M3 will get a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. We've heard about plug-in variants in the mix for the G20 3 Series using a small displacement four-cylinder, but not on the M3 and possibly M4. The goal is familiar, according to the "several senior company officials:" to improve the performance while reducing the emissions footprint. Apparently, the power unit being worked on uses a "similar engine" to the 425-horsepower, 3.0-liter inline six employed at the moment, with power sent to the rear wheels. Electric assistance would come from a KERS-like unit that would also - and only - send power to the rear wheels. Torque is said to go up at least 73 pound-feet from the 406 lb-ft available currently, and all-electric range might be as much as 20 miles. Plenty of carbon fiber will help offset the weight of the lithium-ion batteries. Despite company obfuscations, we know BMW is working on a hybrid powertrain for a vehicle rumored to be called either i5 or i7, and would use one or two electric motors to drive the front wheels while the traditional ICE drives the rear wheels. This potential M3 and M4 powertrain would be an offshoot of that engineering. Automobile speculates there will be electric turbochargers and a horsepower number around 500. Related Video:

Watch the BMW M4 GTS lap the Nurburgring in under 7:28

When BMW unveiled the new M4 GTS back in October, it said it could lap the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 28 seconds. That's all well and fine in terms of bragging rights, but what Bimmer enthusiasts have been waiting for is the proof. And here it is, in ultra-HD 4k glory. In the video above, you can see the new M4 GTS scything its way through the Green Hell of the Eifel mountains. Behind the wheel is M GmbH engineer and racing driver Joerg Weidinger, who helpfully narrates the video to show us exactly how he tackled each and every corner along the 14-mile circuit. Which may come in handy for those with a season pass to the Nordschleife, but the rest of us are more concerned with that lap time and how it holds up. To put it plainly, the 7:27.88 lap makes the new GTS not only the fastest in the M3/M4 line to date, but the fastest production Bimmer ever clocked around the 'Ring. It handily beats the previous M3 CSL (7:50) and the stock M4 (7:52), and even trounces more powerful Bavarian machinery like the Z8, M5, and M6. There've been a handful of BMW-powered racers, motorcycles, and prototypes (not to mention the McLaren F1) that have clocked faster times, but as far as four-wheeled, standard production Munich-mobiles go, the new M4 GTS is the new King of the Ring. It also just so happens to match or beat the best times clocked by the more exotic likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia, McLaren MP4-12C, and Porsche Carrera GT – putting the M4 GTS in rare company indeed.

Will next BMW Project i car be an i6?

BMW may be steadily working its way through the single digits when it comes to the i sub-brand of plug-in vehicles for the next few years. The automaker started with the i3 and the i8, and we heard rumors about an i5 and an i7. Oh, and we've heard about a potential i4, too. None of these have been confirmed. Still, next up is the i6, according to Automobile. There aren't a ton of details, but the all-electric vehicle would be about the same size as the 3-Series line that's long been a workhorse for the German automaker. Like the other Project i vehicles, the i6 would have a lot of carbon fiber in order to reduce weight and help with range extension. The model would also likely have multiple electric motors as well as a state-of-the-art lithium-polymer battery that would provide a big single-charge range, though, again, no specifics on that number. Word got out earlier this year about a supposed i5 model that would be a plug-in hybrid with a gas-powered engine and two electric motors that combine for about 540 horsepower. Other reports said that the four-door sedan would actually fall under the i7 badge. BMW North America chief Ludwig Willisch said this past spring that the sedan in question wouldn't be seeing the light of day any time soon. BMW has already doubled US sales of its two Project i vehicles this year. Through November, Bimmer's sales of its i8 plug-in hybrid quadrupled from a year earlier to about 1,600 units, while sales of the i3 electric vehicle jumped 89 percent from a year earlier to about 9,600 vehicles.