One of BMW's bedrock lines is the 3 Series, which has formed the basis for BMW sales—and the company's reputation—since 1975. Now the seventh-generation G20 BMW 3 Series is starting to show itself in spy photos, and we can begin to get a taste—but only a taste, with all that camouflage—of what BMW's mainstay sport sedan will look like. The car is expected to debut sometime next year as a 2019 model.
The G20 3 Series is expected to come in lighter than its predecessor. Some sources claim that the new 3 Series will lose 88 pounds. Most of the weight loss will probably be from greater use of aluminum. If carbon fiber plays a role, it will be a small one, since even BMW doesn't have the resources to put extensive carbon fiber into its biggest-selling sedan. The G20 will be built on the same CLAR platform as the 5 and 7 Series Sedan but note that same platform does not mean same size.
We can expect powerplants with more horsepower and fewer emissions. After all, the next 3 Series has to keep pace—we would hope outpace—newer competitors like the Alfa Romeo Giulia. For world markets, the 3 Series will have gasoline engines ranging from three-cylinder 1.5-liter units through three-liter six-bangers, all of them turbocharged. The four- and six-cylinder diesels will also get power upgrades.
There will certainly be an M3 following behind the launch of the G20, and almost certainly M Performance versions of some 3 Series, like the 340i, for example. BMW will continue to field a plug-in hybrid 3 Series, but it is rumored to also be getting an uprated drivetrain. And as long as we're talking rumors, there's one that has the next M3 getting an additional electric motor to help with its quickness, mileage, and emissions. Again, that is only a rumor but it does fit with comments from some BMW executives earlier this year.
We would expect the G20 to follow the design elements trending now in new BMWs. For example, the headlights will still be quads, but wider and lower. The taillights will retain an L-shape, but again wider and lower. The kidney grilles will probably grow, if the new BMW Concept 8 Series is a harbinger of grille size.
For the next year we get to play one of our least favorite games: imagine the new 3 Series naked. The camouflage is annoying and even more so when BMW screws fake plastic body panels on the car. Still, it's nice to know the next 3 Series—one of our favorites—is real and undergoing testing.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of auto motor und sport via Motor1.com.]
