Watch out Mercedes and Audi, BMW is about to come after your C-Class and A4 with a brand spanking new 3 Series. The reveal is scheduled to take place in the latter half of this year, which is why near-production prototypes have put on new camo attire revealing a little bit more of the skin. The same disguise is being used on another upcoming hot product from the Land of Bavaria, the X7, so it looks like future BMW models undergoing final testing are being dressed in this black and white camo with a grid pattern.
We are being given the privilege to check out the swanky new headlights flanking a redesigned grille with the two kidneys meeting in the middle. The side profile doesn’t reveal a great deal, other than the fact the prototype could have used a bigger set of alloy wheels, but we’re sure the final 3 Series will be available with bigger rims.
A slight stretch of the wheelbase is expected and that should come along with longer rear doors, although it’s not obvious in these spy shots. We can see the upper character line at the door handle level and how it extends all the way back to meet the redesigned taillights featuring a high-tech look from what we can see through the camo.
Unless the disguise is playing tricks on us, the center of the trunk lid appears to be slightly more curved compared to the outgoing model. It continues to incorporate a section of the taillights, although these are mostly hidden underneath the black and white tape. Overall, the styling won’t represent a significant departure from the model is about to replace (it’s a German car after all), but it should have enough changes worthy of a new generation.
Photos depicting the interior cabin are not available in this set, but our spies spotted a different prototype at the beginning of the month with a partially digital instrument cluster and a revamped center console with a bigger screen for the iDrive infotainment system.
The biggest changes will not be visible to the naked eye as probably the most important novelty will be represented by the switch to the CLAR platform already underpinning its bigger brother, the 5 Series. It should enable a healthy weight loss of around 40 kilograms (88 pounds) granted by a more extensive use of aluminum and a little bit of carbon fiber. A roomier interior cabin is likely on the agenda as well, along with a revamped engine lineup that may have been leaked several months ago.
Needless to say, the crown jewel of the BMW 3 Series Sedan family will once again be the M3, which was caught just last week while powersliding through the difficult corners of the Nürburgring.
Expect to see the standard 3 Series models debut as early as the beginning of October at the Paris Motor Show, with the M3 to arrive in the second half of 2019 or the beginning of 2020.
Source : Motor1
