This is Your First Look at the New Gas-Fed BMW 3 Series

Relax, the Gas-Powered 3 Series is Coming

At the moment, all eyes are on the electric i3, but let’s not forget that the fuel-fed version of the BMW 3 Series is coming soon. It hasn’t been revealed yet, and the folks from Munich aren’t mentioning any details just yet. It’s not like BMW is making that model a mere footnote in the new-gen 3 Series story. If anything, it’s making us even more curious about it.

With the world premiere of the i3, we might not wait too long for the gas-powered 3 Series. So far, all we’re counting on are spy shots, but as it turns out, BMW already gave a sneak peek.

Blink, or You’ll Miss it

There have been loads of photos and videos for the i3 produced by BMW since it was launched. But in one of the press materials, there was a short glimpse of the next-gen 3 Series. It was first noticed by BMW Blog – doesn’t look like much, but there was an obvious hint that it wasn’t just another angle of the electric model.

In one of the final scenes of the presentation, we see a sedan with four exhaust pipes. If that’s not an obvious indicator of a vehicle with an engine, we don’t know what other clues you’ll need. Not only that, there’s a brief sound clip of its engine, likely a six-cylinder. Well, that’s one way to subtly tease a new model.

What We Know so Far

While the i3 has the internal designation of NA0, the redesigned 3 Series will have a different chassis code. The sedan carries the code of G50, and it’s likely that the touring version will be internally known as the G51. BMW has committed to a new generation of 4 Series models, so we can see those for real in the near future.

For its body, we can expect the same styling elements already seen in the i3 to be applied on the 3 Series. It will come with a longer hood, a different wheelbase, and a couple more dimension differences. Inside, it might not be as radical as the i3 and have a more conservative design. Then again, this is BMW we’re talking about. Rather worryingly, we see flush door handles, suggesting a pop-out mechanism.

Powertrain choices are likely to be similar to the outgoing G20 3 Series and mirror the global X3. We could see a variety of 2.0-liter turbo engines in gas, diesel, and plug-in hybrid guises, and the now-familiar 3.0-liter inline-six turbo at the top. There might even be a high-powered six-cylinder diesel, continuing from the outgoing generation. The base could still be the 318, while the M350 will replace the M340i. As for the M3, that one will get a plug-in hybrid setup like the M5.