The BMW X4 M is not dead. It’s just changing its fuel source — and doubling its horsepower in the process.
According to a well-known insider posting on the Bimmerpost forum, BMW plans to revive its coupe-styled performance crossover as a fully electric vehicle, with production slated to begin in late 2027. The information, reportedly sourced from leaks within the BMW organization, suggests the electric X4 M will pack a quad-motor powertrain producing more than 800 horsepower.
That’s not a typo. Eight hundred horses. For context, the outgoing X4 M Competition, with its twin-turbo S58 inline-six, topped out at 503 hp. The gas-powered M5 makes 717 hp. This thing would obliterate both.
The second-generation X4 quietly left production last November with no combustion-powered successor planned. BMW had been signaling the model’s demise for years, with reports dating back to 2022 suggesting the coupe-SUV was on the chopping block. The culprit? Partly the growing X2, which has swelled in size and features enough to cannibalize some of the X4’s market share.
But the nameplate’s obituary was premature. The standard iX4 is expected to enter production at BMW’s new plant in Debrecen, Hungary, this November. It will share its platform, interior, and battery technology with the recently launched iX3, including a 108.7-kWh battery pack and a dual-motor setup rated at 463 horsepower.
The M variants are where things get wild. Both the X3 M and X4 M will reportedly share the electric M3’s quad-motor architecture, pushing past that 800-hp threshold. Neither model is expected to carry the “i” prefix, despite being fully electric.
Before the full M cars arrive, BMW will roll out M Performance versions to bridge the gap. The iX3 M60 is expected to debut before the end of this year with around 600 to 630 horsepower from a dual-motor setup, using the same 108.7-kWh battery as the standard model. Higher output will inevitably mean less range, but buyers shopping M Performance EVs probably aren’t sweating EPA numbers.
Internal codenames have also leaked. The standard electric X4 goes by NA7, the X3 M is ZA5, and the X4 M carries the ZA7 designation. ZA6 is reportedly reserved for an M version of China’s long-wheelbase iX3, a vehicle unlikely to reach American shores.
Production of the electric M3 sedan is expected to begin in Munich in March 2027, with the X3 M and X4 M following shortly after. That timeline positions all three as 2028 model-year vehicles.
BMW has not officially confirmed the iX4’s existence, let alone the M variant. A company spokesperson declined to comment when pressed by Car and Driver. But the pattern is unmistakable. The iX3 is already in production, spy photos of the iX4 have surfaced, and the factory in Hungary is built and ready.
The bigger question is whether the market will be ready. EV legislative support has wobbled in recent months, and consumer appetite for six-figure electric performance crossovers isn’t exactly bulletproof. BMW is betting that raw, obscene power — the kind that makes 800 horsepower from four electric motors feel like a reasonable proposition — will be enough to keep buyers writing checks.
Love them or loathe them, coupe-SUVs still have an audience. And BMW clearly isn’t done milking the formula. It’s just electrifying it beyond all reason.
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