The next-generation BMW 3 Series is finally nearing its official debut, with the eighth-generation G50 set to break cover on September 30. The new sports sedan will look significantly different from the outgoing G20 while sharing several visual and technological elements with the i3 electric sedan revealed in March.
BMW 3 Series G50 Debut Date Confirmed
BMW has announced that the G50 3 Series will be officially unveiled on September 30 at 12:01 a.m. Central European Standard Time. For American audiences, that means the new sedan will be revealed on the evening of September 29.
The world premiere will also introduce the flagship M350, which currently has the only confirmed engine specification in the new lineup. The model is reportedly set to use BMW’s B58 engine, tuned to produce 443 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque.
xDrive will be standard on the M350, while rear-wheel drive is expected to become available later through an over-the-air update. BMW has not yet revealed the other powertrain configurations for the lineup, although a plug-in hybrid will be among them.
What We Know About the Eighth-Generation 3 Series
Despite sharing several design and technology traits with the i3, the G50 3 Series will be based on an updated version of BMW’s CLAR platform rather than the i3’s Neue Klasse architecture.
Inside, the gasoline-powered 3 Series is expected to borrow numerous elements from the i3 while accounting for the packaging limitations of the CLAR platform. BMW’s Panoramic Vision display will most likely replace the conventional digital instrument cluster, while a large central touchscreen similar to the i3’s is also expected.
BMW 3 Series Touring and M3 Models Ahead
BMW is also expected to introduce a G51 Touring version of the 3 Series later on, with its reveal reportedly planned for sometime next year.
The G84-generation M3 may also follow relatively soon. Spy shots indicate that the performance model will ditch the polarizing oversized kidney grilles, although BMW has yet to officially reveal it.
For now, the focus remains on the G50 3 Series, with its long-awaited debut just days away.
