BMW is getting ready to put some more pressure on the luxury compact segment by introducing a new generation of the 3-Series.
Seen here in prototype form lapping the Nurburgring, with vinyl stickers covering most of its redesigned body panels, it will serve as a replacement for the current F30, which has been around since 2011.
On the outside, it’s expected to adopt an evolutionary design, with its larger four-door siblings serving as inspiration, but the upcoming 3-Series is also believed to set itself apart from the aforementioned models with a more distinctive front end.
Opening the door should reveal a completely new cabin, with premium materials and several tech features brought from the new 5-Series and 7-Series. Indeed, we scooped the cabin of a prototype last year, but it was heavily camouflaged, so most details remained hidden.
Its design and equipment won’t be the only things shared between the new-gen 3-Series and its bigger brothers, as it will use BMW’s CLAR modular architecture, with standard rear-wheel drive and the xDrive AWD found on the options list and, possibly, on range-topping versions.
The engine lineup should include the 1-5-liter three-cylinder gasoline and diesel units on the European market, whereas in North America, basic variants will be powered by four-cylinder turbocharged units.
Codenamed the G20, the new BMW 3-Series should debut towards the end of next year, as a 2019MY.