The BMW 3-series turns 50 this year, and like many people that hit their half-century, it’s about to embark on a round of surgery and an intensive muscle-building program to make sure it looks and feels younger and fitter for the years to come. The new 3-Series is due in 2026, and development work has switched to the Nurburgring to ensure it’s ready for that debut.
Unlike the current 3-Series, the next-generation model will be available with a choice of electric and combustion power, and our spy photographers have just snapped a pair of the ICE models testing on the old 12.8-mile (20.6 km) Nordschleife, one of which seems to be the replacement for the M340i—possibly named the M350i, as indicated by the quad tailpipes.
Related: Here’s Everything We Know About The 2027 BMW 3-Series
While i3 EV versions get the same Neue Klasse platform, which will make its first production appearance later this year on the electric iX3 SUV, the ICE models are believed to retain the current CLAR architecture, but dressed up with NK design cues.
There was a suggestion that the two cars seen here represented a car from each camp, one having quad exhausts and the other having none. But when we overlaid the profile images, it was clear the bodies were identical, telling us they’re both rocking combustion engines.
We know from previous sightings of both the i3 sedan and the 2028 electric M3 that the EV cars have an almost perfectly horizontal belt line and a post in the middle of the rear door that leans forward. But both of the cars spotted at the Ring have a kick in the belt line, upright door posts, and fractionally less metal between the rear wheel arch and the door.
Though we can’t see inside either car, we expect the combustion 3-series to closely echo the interior style and layout of the i3. From what BMW has shown us on various concepts over the past couple of years and at CES this January, that means a fully customizable pillar-to-pillar head-up display instead of a traditional gauge pack, and a more conventional tablet touchscreen fixed to the center of the dash.
Exclusive: BMW’s Next ICE M3 Is A Mild Hybrid, Not A PHEV Like The Heavyweight M5
Under the hood, you’ll find updated, mild-hybrid versions of existing powertrains, including a 2.0-liter four-cylinder for most cars, a 3.0-liter inline-six for the M340 / M350, multiple PHEV options, and, later, a mild-hybrid, six-cylinder M3. Look out for a 3-series debut in 2026, but don’t expect to get your hands on one until the following year.
