It has identical performance figures to the current M3 but can achieve 4l/100km

The BMW M-car faces a controversial future. It’s long been one of the lynchpins of the performance car market, high-revving, naturally aspirated engines and rear-wheel drive combining to create some of the all-time great drivers’ cars. But M Division’s wares are changing with the times. Following on from the news that turbocharging is the way forward for the M3 and M5 comes a rather more dramatic development: the hybrid BMW sports car.

The Vision EfficientDynamics concept that the firm unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show has a three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine and a pair of electric motors – a far cry from the screaming straight-sixes of the past. In addition to now-familiar regenerative braking technology, there’s also a rather trick thermo-electric generator built into the exhaust system to recover heat from the tailpipe emissions and convert it back into usable energy.

Although the concept is four-wheel drive (the electric motors work on separate axles), we can rest easy on that front for now – ‘BMWs have to be rear-wheel drive,’ said one insider we spoke to. That diesel engine is a certainty for production, though, with the next 1-series and 3-series both lined up to use it. In what form it might make it into an M-car remains to be seen, but BMW insists it is unwaveringly a performance brand, and wants to find ways to sustain that well into the future. Multiple-motor powertrains could be the solution.

However controversial, the Vision has some impressive statistics. Despite its small capacity, the diesel engine alone produces 163bhp and 214lb ft and, when mated to those electric motors, power and torque climb to 351bhp and 590lb ft respectively, giving the concept identical performance figures to the current M3 while achieving a claimed 3.8L/100km and emitting just 99g/km. That makes it cleaner and more economical than the Honda Insight hybrid.

To help the Vision achieve these goals, its weight has been kept down by the use of aluminium for its chassis and suspension and polycarbonate for its windows. Despite having four seats the whole car weighs just 1395kg – almost 300kg less than an M3 saloon.

Aerodynamics play a big part too. The wheels, for instance, are taller and narrower than on current performance BMWs, dramatically reducing drag but keeping the total area of the contact patch the same. Meanwhile, the car’s underbody is completely flat and the bodywork has well-placed ducts and intakes allowing air to flow across and through the car as undisturbed as possible, keeping the drag coefficient down to 0.22.

The Vision’s exterior design is a development of the M1 Homage concept that was shown at the Italian Villa d’Este Concours event in 2008, sparking rumours of an Audi R8 rival. While such a car has always been possible, BMW has said in the past that it would only do another supercar if it could make it an intelligent one, hence a statement like the Vision and the technology it showcases.

Some eco-cynics will no doubt see  the Vision as an environmental sop and baulk at the idea of a green supercar, but it’s something we’ll have to get used to – clever sports cars of the future will be hybrids, and that includes BMW’s M-cars.