Will BMW's next M3 come equipped with four cylinders? That's exactly what many car enthusiasts are wondering after BMW M product manager, Carsten Pries, recently told Motoring.com.au that we "could see a future [M3] powered by a four-cylinder engine." Since the quote was released, there has been no official word from BMW about the statement, but if you take a look at the M3's history, you'll see that it's not a far-fetched idea.

The BMW M3 has sported a variety of engines throughout the years, including a six cylinder and an eight cylinder. However, if you're new to the M Series fanbase, you may not know that the M3, which entered the automotive market in 1985, was originally fitted with a 2.3L inline four-cylinder engine before BMW began making changes to newer models. With this in mind, it's very plausible that the next M3, which isn't likely to arrive until 2020 or 2021, may indeed feature a four-cylinder engine. According to Pries, the use of the smaller engine would likely enhance the M3's overall performance, which could be the main reason why BMW is considering it for future models.

Even with that to ponder, we still don't completely know about the M3's future association with four-cylinder engines. We'll just have to wait for BMW to officially comment on the matter and keep our fingers crossed for a new high-performance model.

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