Back in September at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW shocked its fans by unveiling a car whose front end was not only uncharacteristic for the brand, but also the exact opposite of understated.

It was called the Concept 4, and its kidney grille was considerably larger than even that of the latest 7-Series facelift or the X7. Now, it looks quite likely that this new and gigantic grille will make its way onto the 2020 M3, and probably the M4 too.

Say it ain’t so

Oh, it be so. This latest G80 M3 image comes from the same source that spotted the car’s undisguised rear end a few days ago, and went on to post all the images on Bimmerpost.

So while a fake is never out of the question until the very unveiling of a car (or at least a leaked release), this image of the front end seems legit to us, especially since it matches not only the Concept 4’s design philosophy, but also that scoop we brought you earlier this month, where a fully camouflaged G80 M3 was trying really hard to hide its tall nose.

Now, since the grille is completely different and more pronounced, the headlight design is different too – sharper, similar to the Concept 4’s.

BMW’s Concept 4 study from the Frankfurt Motor Show

I’m sad now

Don’t be, because the good thing about a brand new M3 coming out is the performance. While it likely won’t put the same smile on your face as the iconic E46 M3, the all-new 2020 model will surely be the best overall iteration of the nameplate, which means it will also be the fastest.

Power will reportedly come from the same 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder unit found in the X3 M and X4 M crossovers. According to BMW M boss Markus Flasch, the base M3 will put down 473 HP (480 PS), while the Competition model will manage 503 HP (510 PS).

The G80 M3 is expected to make its public debut in mid-2020.

Image credits Bimmerpost / Evolve