3 Minutes
Sunlight glints off a roof that isn’t there. You can almost hear the intake note imagined for it. That’s the trick of convincing CGI: it makes you feel what hasn’t been built yet.
The backdrop for this daydream is familiar. BMW has been rolling out a wave of new models, and the 2027 M3 CS Handschalter stole headlines with something old-school: a manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive, and the 473-horsepower inline-six that many enthusiasts still worship. Production will be tight and the car is a farewell to a chapter of BMW engineering. It’s proof that even as a brand pivots, there’s appetite for raw, mechanical engagement.
A design language reinterpreted for combustion
But the real question is how BMW’s fresh Neue Klasse styling will translate for cars that must still breathe with an internal combustion engine. EVs can hide airflow and close off cavities. Engines cannot. So the kidney grille evolves here not as a styling flourish but as a necessary intake. Exhaust outlets reappear at the rear.
That’s the brief taken on by Nikita Chuicko, the digital artist known online as kelsonik. His latest render imagines an M4 Convertible wearing Neue Klasse lines, reworked for ICE or hybrid reality. The result is not a simple copy-paste of the i3’s face; it’s a thoughtful remix that tries to marry new-school geometry with performance hardware.
The visual cues are bold. Dual-open kidneys sit between a crisp LED daytime-running signature. The front bumper bites hard, with oversized vents and visible carbon fiber elements framing a pronounced splitter. Side skirts and rear trim continue the lightweight theme, while a diffuser and a subtle trunk spoiler hint at track-focused intent. The roof tucks away into a clean rear deck; the silhouette reads like a summer-ready weapon.
Details matter. Concave alloy wheels give the stance a planted look. Up front, carbon-trimmed seats and race-inspired touches suggest a cabin built for driving, but the render stops short of the full Panoramic Vision layout shown on upcoming EV models, which implies a bridge between current M4 interiors and BMW’s next-gen digital aesthetic. Quad exhausts at the back remind you this is a combustion-capable fantasy, not a pure EV exercise.
Rumors and official hints point to two possible futures for a high-performance M4: a dramatic all-electric version that delivers monstrous outputs, and an evolved inline-six equipped with mild-hybrid or fuller hybrid tech to meet emissions rules without surrendering character. Which path will BMW take for the convertible? Both feel plausible in different ways. One promises raw power. The other promises personality and mechanical feedback.
Render art like this has value beyond eye candy. It asks a question: can BMW dress a combustion engine in Neue Klasse clothes and still keep the brand’s tactile soul? Enthusiasts will argue either way. Designers will study the proportions. Executives will watch the market.
This imagined M4 Convertible suggests BMW can adapt Neue Klasse styling for ICE cars while keeping the drama and intent of a true M car.
Source: autoevolution
Comments
mechbyte
Is BMW really gonna fit a breathing inline-six behind that Neue Klasse face? Feels like styling and airflow could fight, or am I missing something…
v8rider
Whoa that render hits! Manual M4 convertible fantasy, roof tucks away, 473hp in my dreams lol.. If BMW keeps the inline-six and a proper stick I'm so in, but production probs tiny
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