BMW has pulled the covers off the iX3 M60 xDrive, a fully electric M Performance model and the most powerful iX3 so far.
With one motor on each axle, it makes up to 450 kW (612 hp) and 875 Nm (645 lb-ft) of torque, reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) from rest in 3.9 seconds and tops out at 240 km/h (149 mph). Production is set to start at BMW Group Plant Debrecen in Hungary in spring 2027, with orders opening at the end of January 2027.
BMW notes that all performance and range figures are provisional, and that binding WLTP values are not yet available.
Looks Built Around M Yellow Lights
The headline design feature is the new M Yellow Lights, which BMW says take their cue from racing cars such as the BMW M Hybrid V8. Depending on the market, they work only with the low-beam headlights. Beside the kidney grille, three-element light signatures echo the M stripes and incorporate the M logo.
The standard BMW Iconic Glow package adds contour lighting to the kidneys, along with Selective Beam, Adaptive Headlights, a motorway beam pattern and Welcome & Goodbye animations in Relaxed, Balanced and Excited styles.
In profile, the iX3 M60 keeps the Neue Klasse’s clean surfaces, but with a long wheelbase, short overhangs, strongly contoured arches, high-gloss black roof rails and striped M mirror caps. Wheels are 21 inches as standard, and 22-inch M aerodynamic wheels are offered only on this model.
At the rear sit a black diffuser, an “M60” badge and a roof-edge spoiler with two aeroblades that add downforce at the rear axle. Buyers can choose from 25 special request paint finishes at launch. The car measures 4,782 mm long, 1,895 mm wide and 1,635 mm tall on a 2,897 mm wheelbase.
A Driver-Focused Cabin
BMW Panoramic iDrive with Operating System X combines the standard Panoramic Vision, a 17.9-inch free-cut central display angled toward the driver and an M Sport steering wheel, with an optional 3D Head-Up Display.
The wheel carries a red 12 o’clock marker, dedicated Boost and M Mode buttons, and direct access to the M Sport and M Sport Plus My Modes. M Sport seats come as standard, with ten-way electric adjustment, a massage function and illuminated M logos in the head restraints, and are paired with M seat belts and an M-specific instrument display with a Powermeter. The standard Harman Kardon system has 13 speakers and 430 watts, with Dolby Atmos.
Three interior worlds are available, with seven upholstery options. The standard BMW M design uses black Veganza with M PerformTex, while Contemporary and BMW Individual (with Merino leather) are optional, as is a bi-colour Adelaide Grey M Sport seat.
The optional BMW Digital Premium unlocks M apps, including an M Cockpit app for custom dashboards and an M Drag Meter for acceleration data, and the My Modes system lets owners tune lighting, sound, displays, chassis and drive responses.
Gen6 M eDrive Powertrain
The car uses BMW’s sixth-generation electric drive technology, with 800V architecture, bidirectional charging and new cylindrical-cell batteries. The big change is a new electrically excited synchronous motor at the rear, built around a redesigned stator and an inverter rated at 420 A rather than 300 A. A longer gear ratio and a higher permitted rotor speed lift the top speed.
The battery holds 108.7 kWh of usable energy, good for up to 754 km (468 miles) of WLTP range and consumption of 20.5 to 17.6 kWh per 100 km. DC charging peaks at 400 kW, and ten minutes at a suitable 800V station adds up to 340 km (211 miles). AC Charging Professional at up to 22 kW is standard.
Heart of Joy and the M Chassis
The Heart of Joy computer, one of four “superbrains” in the car, controls drive, braking, steering, charging and recuperation about ten times faster than previous systems. Working with BMW M Dynamic Performance Control, it coordinates driving functions in milliseconds, and BMW says it reduces the number of control inputs and produces consistent cornering behaviour.
Steering-wheel paddles let the driver adjust M eDrive response. The Soft Stop function uses recuperation to bring the car to a smooth, quiet halt, and everyday deceleration is almost entirely regenerative. M Sport brakes in red or blue are standard.
Chassis hardware includes standard adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled dampers, variable-ratio sport steering and an electronically controlled M Sport differential on the rear axle.
The M Sport and M Sport Plus modes adjust the drive, suspension and steering together. BMW’s engineers retuned the springs and dampers, added anti-roll bar links at the front axle and fitted extra bracing at the front end for more transverse and torsional stiffness.
Driver Assistance
The iX3 M60 xDrive carries SAE Level 2 assistance under the BMW Symbiotic Drive banner. Its Motorway Assistant allows hands-free driving at up to 130 km/h (81 mph).