The transition to electric vehicles has always had one major stumbling block for car enthusiasts: sound. Or rather, the lack thereof. For decades, the soul of a performance car has been tied to the sound it makes – the wheeze in the intake, the crackle in the exhaust, the mechanical symphony of pistons and valves. Now, as BMW prepares to launch its first-ever all-electric M3, the company is tackling this problem head-on, and its solution is surprisingly old-school.
Instead of trying to invent a new “sound of the future” full of abstract spaceship hums and digital trills, BMW’s motorsport division is digging into its own history books. New videos from the development team show that the upcoming electric M3 will feature a synthetic audio system built from high-fidelity recordings of the brand’s most famous combustion engines. We’re not talking about general engine noise here; BMW is trying out the legends in the truest sense of the word.
Early recordings of the prototype showed a sound that was unmistakably reminiscent of a turbocharged inline-six
It has now been confirmed that it is the S55 engine from the previous generation M4. But it’s getting better. BMW has also captured the acoustic profiles of the S65 V8 from the popular E90/E92 M3 and, perhaps most excitingly, the screaming S85 V10 from the E63 M6. The idea is that the production electric vehicle will likely allow drivers to switch between these profiles. Imagine driving a futuristic electric super sedan but having the option to fill the interior with the howl of a mid-2000s V10. It’s a nostalgia piece, but it’s clever.
To make the experience feel real, BMW doesn’t just play an MP3 file through the speakers. They combine this audio with simulated gear changes. This mimics the “bursts” and torque interruptions of a traditional transmission, giving the driver a sense of rhythm and engagement that is often lost in the seamless, linear surge of an electric motor. It mirrors the strategy Hyundai successfully used with the Ioniq 5 N, proving that “wrong” gearshifts can actually make a car feel livelier.
This move comes at a time when the entire industry is trying to bring “emotion” back into motoring
Paradoxically, as electric vehicles get faster, they become less exciting for some drivers because sensory feedback is lost. Mercedes-AMG is working on systems that vibrate the seats to mimic a V8 rumble, and Genesis is tuning its “Magma” models to sound like authentic V6 turbos.
However, there is arguably more at stake for BMW. The “M” emblem has always been defined by its engines. By basing their electric future on the sounds of their mechanical past, they attempt to build a bridge for the purists. When you combine that emotional level with the rumored quad-motor setup and advanced torque vectoring, the electric M3 seems less like a compromise and more like the best of both worlds. With the standard electric i3 sedan launching later this year, we won’t have to wait long to see – and hear – if they’ve made it.
