BMW iX3 M60 could reach X5 M power levels
A little rumour, then. So far, BMW has revealed the new Neue Klasse iX3 in two confirmed forms: the iX3 50 xDrive, with 345 kW or 469 bhp, and the iX3 40, with 320 bhp. The BMW X5 M Competition, meanwhile, still sits at 460 kW or 625 bhp. An electric iX3 capable of troubling the X5 M remains, for now, a credible leak rather than an official BMW product specification.
BMWBlog reported that the iX3 M60 xDrive could enter production in March 2027 and deliver between 620 and 630 bhp. If that figure proves accurate, the smaller electric iX3 would land squarely in X5 M Competition territory. The important line sits here, though: BMW has not officially confirmed the M60 name, the production timing or those power figures.
BMW opened the Neue Klasse era with the iX3 50 xDrive, which offers up to 805 kilometres of WLTP range and charging speeds of up to 400 kW. On its US market page, BMW also says further single motor and dual motor versions will arrive in early 2027. That points to a staggered launch strategy. First come the core volume models, then the higher margin performance versions.
The Neue Klasse iX3 uses an 800 volt electrical system, can add up to 372 kilometres of range in ten minutes and charge its battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 21 minutes. BMW has also tied the platform to its new Heart of Joy control system, which integrates traction, braking and regeneration into a much faster and more tightly managed whole. That technical foundation is what gives BMW the chance to build something approaching X5 M performance into a smaller body later on, without turning the car into nothing more than a straight line special.
The old hierarchy linked peak power to a bigger body, a bigger engine and a higher price bracket. In the electric era, BMW can push X5 M numbers into something closer to X3 size and sell buyers a different sort of M Performance. Fewer cylinders, more software, higher power density, faster charging and sharper chassis control.
For now, the official iX3 still stops at 469 bhp. It only enters the same conversation as the X5 M once BMW confirms an M60, or something even harder edged.
