By the end of the year, we might witness the debut of BMW M's first-ever all-electric car. We're not the ones saying it, it's BMW itself. Even so, there are a lot of unknown puzzle pieces and before more official info comes our way, here's what we know so far about BMW M's plans to electrify, partially of totally, its range.

By the end of the year, we might witness the debut of BMW M's first-ever all-electric car. We're not the ones saying it, it's BMW itself. Even so, there are a lot of unknown puzzle pieces and before more official info comes our way, here's what we know so far about BMW M's plans to electrify, partially of totally, its range.

Back in March 2018, on scene at the Geneva Motor Show, BMW spokesman Bernhard Santer told journalists in the audience that the BMW brand will be electrified. In doing so, Mr. Santer admitted that if that was to happen, special attention would have to be dedicated to weight.

Bernhard Santer, quoted by Automotive News.

As you can imagine, adding one or two e-motors and a battery pack to feed them adds significant weight to a car's hips. BMW M knows that all too well, and it was never afraid to bring up the topic whenever it was asked whether it's working on electrifying the sports cars it produces.

Fast forward to the early days of 2021, when a new report suggests we'll get the first electrified BMW M car by the end of the year. According to BMW Blog, a recent press release issued by BMW mentions that "during the year 2021, the BMW M GmbH will be presenting an electrically powered performance automobile for the first time."

Needless to say, the statement isn't of the clarifying ilk. The same outlet suggests BMW M could be referring to the upcoming BMW i4. Since the wording says "electrically powered", we're temped to exclude the possibility of a performance-oriented hybrid, such as Porsche's Panamera E-Hybrid-badged variants. So without further available info, we'll assume BMW M is going to develop a fully-electric car meant to deliver thrills and chills down the spine before anything else.

If that's the case, then BMW's go-fast division might have found a way to solve the extra weight equation introduced by the use of electric motors and batteries.

Market-wise, there's definitely room for more EVs with an appetite for performance. The Porsche Taycan showed that last year, and the Audi e-tron GT (it might or might not wear the RS badge) is just around the corner. Which means we're taking this BMW M hint as a declaration of intention to join this niche with an out-and-out sports car powered solely by electricity.

Without delving too much into speculation, Car and Driver expects the i4 to pack 530 horsepower coming from a single electric motor. We also know from BMW that the battery pack will have a capacity of 80 kWh, with the duo allowing the i4 to zap from naught to 60 mph in four seconds flat.

With that kind of oomph potential, the i4 would make a prime candidate for BMW M's first-ever EV. However, since there's not much info to go by, we'll settle to keep our antennas stretched out for more details on the topic.