The BMW 3-Series is a very popular car worldwide and is pushing into the station wagon market here in the U.S. Our photographers caught the new 3-series wagon out testing and snapped some spy photos.

The BMW wagon is known as the 3-Series touring in Europe and is slated to come to North America, although dates haven’t been announced. The last generation 5-Series touring sold poorly here, so the 3-Series wagon is BMWs latest attempt to make a German station wagon popular on American soil.

The spy photos show the wagon almost completely without camouflage, the only part of the car remaining covered being the back end. The nose sports the new 3-series styling with the classic circular headlights getting stretched out a bit giving the car a little more aggression in the looks department.

The new 3-series debuted at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show with three engine options, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder which delivers 240 hp, a 3.0L six cylinder engine which puts out 300 hp and also a hybrid option which is mated with the six cylinder for a combined 340 hp. We can’t be sure what engines the wagon will get, but odds are it will offer all three and possibly a diesel in the future.

GALLERY: 2013 BMW 3-Series Wagon Spy Photos

The latest generation BMW 3-Series has finally gotten the optional M Sport treatment, with the German automaker releasing details on the package.

The new accessories will debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show and will come with a stylish new front bumper with larger air intakes, carbon fiber front splitters and black kidney grilles. For performance, the German automaker will offer upgrades on the powertrain, exhaust, and suspension. Unfortunately no details were announced on the performance upgrades, but we should know more when the Geneva gets underway next month.

Optional accessories from the M Performance Parts line for the new 3-Series will include 20-inch wheels, a roof box, a snowboard holder and a car cover. On the inside, BMW will offer all-weather floor mats, color-matched emergency brake handle, key fobs, rear storage and backrest bags.

The new 3-Series will make its way to America in August of this year. No pricing was announced on the M Sport package or its accessories.

GALLERY: 2012 BMW 3 Series M Sport

BMW will continue their tradition of providing patrol cars to the Munich police force thanks to a new contract that will contribute several hundred vehicles a year to the force.

The German automaker provided cruisers for the past 50 years and will continue to do so with its new 2012 3-Series and 5-Series sedans and wagons. They will also be adding the X3 crossover to the fleet for the first time. The updated police cars will come equipped with a customized iDrive system to control the sirens and lighting.

“I am glad that in the coming years, new BMW models will work for the police in Bavaria’s roads. As a longtime partner of the Bavarian police, we are proud that our expertise has convinced authorities and we continue to make our contribution to security in Bavaria, “said Alexander Thorwirth, head of sales to public authorities, operational and security vehicles.

[Source: Carscoop]

There are smaller engines on the horizon for BMW‘s 3-Series cars, though a specific date isn’t set yet.

According to an article published by What Car?, BMW said it has exhausted engine technology within the currently offered sizes and that the future is to move towards smaller, more powerful technology.

BMW already stepped in this direction by returning the 2012 3-Series to a 2.0-liter turbocharged four, but this represents the most drastic step to date: a three-cylinder engine. While the powerplants motivating BMW cars are getting smaller, the turbocharging systems the company uses are getting larger — or at least more complex.

The company’s engineers are already planning to implement a tri-turbo system in their M cars by using a single, smaller unit that spools up on exhaust much faster to deliver power almost instantly. Then two larger units take hold and create the sort of forced induction necessary for big power from a small motor.

The three-cylinder engine that BMW is working on for the 3-Series use is still about a couple years off, according to the company and won’t be the same as the unit used in the upcoming i8 hybrid, which will be available in 2013.

Instead, the company is focusing on making an engine that will be able to power cars as large as the 3-Series without help from electric motors, which will remain mostly paired with the six-cylinder engines found in current Bimmer hybrids.

While unconfirmed by company executives, it’s believed that the next-generation MINI models will also make use of 3-cylinder powerplants.

[Source: What Car?]

BMW might be a little bit late to the whole “let’s release our Super Bowl ads before the Super Bowl” party, but they’re making up for it with quantity over quality.

Six short clips were released by BMW and only a pair of them will air during the big game on Sunday, but you’ll probably only see one of them on TV. What commercial you’ll see will be based on your region, with the New York Tri-State area getting an ad highlighting the 3-Series’ heated steering wheel, while the Southern California Los Angeles region will hear about BMW Connected Drive’s ability to read emails.

The additional four clips that BMW produced will be appearing online on streaming sites such as NBC.com, ABC.com and Hulu. All six clips were designed to be playful shorts to support the launch of the new BMW 3-Series Sedan.

“The BMW 3 Series is the global benchmark for a sports sedan,” said Dan Creed, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. “With these shorts, we turn a spotlight on the innovations that make the 3 Series the standard to which others aspire.”

Check out all six digital clips after the break.

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Whittled down from all the cars in the world, a group of 66 automotive journalists from across the globe have released their top 10 picks for the 2012 World Car of the Year and World Performance Car.

That list, which will be further narrowed this month, is initially selected by secret ballot and then submitted for re-evaluation by the panel.

Members then have a chance to rate each car based on overall merit, value, safety, environmental responsibility, emotional appeal, and significance. The top three are then scheduled to be announced March 6 at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show during a press conference.

The 2011 World Car of the Year was the Nissan Leaf, while the World Performance Car was the Ferrari 458 Italia. What we’re most curious about this year is the fact that the Porsche 911 made it into both categories.

The 2012 World Performance Car finalists are:

• Audi RS 3 Sportback
• BMW 1 Series M Coupé
• BMW M5
• Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• Ferrari FF
• Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4
• McLaren MP4-12C
• Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG
• Mercedes-Benz C-63 Coupe AMG Black Series
• Porsche 911

The 2012 World Car of the Year finalists are:

• Audi A6 Sedan / Avant
• Audi Q3
• BMW 1 Series
• BMW 3 Series
• Chevrolet Volt / Opel/Vauxhall Ampera
• Citroen DS5
• Ford Focus
• Land Rover Evoque
• Porsche 911
• Volkswagen Up!

Be sure to tune in for our coverage of the 2012 Geneva Auto Show, where we’ll be bringing you the latest. Also, let us know what you think of both lists in the comments section below.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel estimates are out for BMW‘s new line of 3-Series cars and it looks like they’ve caught the competition with their pants down.

The 2012 328i scores an impressive 24 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, that’s a 28 percent improvement in fuel consumption over last year’s model. What’s even better is that the 328i actually gets more power than the model it replaced for a total of 240 horsepower compared to last year’s 230. The 300-horsepower 335i doesn’t get a boost in oomph but as you may expect, is less thirsty in 2012. In fact, the automatic-equipped version is downright efficient, bragging 23 mpg city and 33 highway.

Though it might seem like it, these jumps don’t happen overnight, or by some magic gasoline fairy waving a wand. BMW achieved such impressive improvements in the 328i through cleverly engineered turbocharging and by lobbing a whole liter off of last year’s engine. That’s right, there’s a 2.0-liter inline four where there used to be a 3.0-liter six cylinder.

So what of the competition? The Mercedes-Benz C 250 has 39 fewer ponies than the 328i and only gets 21 and 31 mpg in the city and highway despite having a 1.8-liter engine. Audi‘s A4 uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged powerplant and also only gets 22 mpg city and 30 on the highway when equipped with their gas-saving continuously variable transmission, not to mention falling 29 horsepower short.

The jig is up for this model year, but it should be interesting to watch Audi and Mercedes-Benz respond to their Bavarian neighbor’s conservative consumption. Perhaps this is why BMW remains the top dog in the bratwurst pile.

BMW is cashing in on the chauffeur craze in China by offering a stretched version of the 3-Series exclusively to Chinese customers.

The longer wheelbase sedan will be sold as a 335Li, and will offer more legroom to Chinese consumers who want to be driven around but can’t afford a legitimate chauffeur car like  Bentley or Rolls-Royce.

It might sound ridiculous that the mild-mannered 3-Series would merit a hired driver, but Audi has actually been advancing Chinese sales by offering the A6L and A4L sedans with “L” signifying the longer version.

The 335Li fits between the two Audi cars in terms of rear-seat legroom according to China Car Times. Chinese customers will be able to buy the car later this year, though it won’t be offered anywhere else in the world. That would have meant a lot of extra work on BMW’s part until recently. The German automaker will manufacture their Chinese 3-Series cars in partnership with Brilliance, a company they have worked with on several projects in the past.

[Source: China Car Times]

Car companies, much like any other, can go one of two routes when dreaming up a Superbowl commercial: funny or serious.

Cadillac chose the latter this year for their ATS commercial, but their ad didn’t do it for us. Throwing a deep commanding voice over an uninspiring electric guitar track and recycling what’s mostly old teaser footage of the ATS running around the Nurburgring race track was a let down. Most disappointing of all, the original teaser video was probably more exciting. The comparison they make between the BMW 3-Series and the ATS makes sense and so does hinting at testing in enemy territory, but it doesn’t impart the rah rah go USA spirit we would have expected.

The Superbowl represents grandeur, excess and most of all pride. One day out of the year a single stadium becomes football’s cathedral. In keeping with that theme, commercials have no choice but to make us double over in laughter or jump from our seats in excitement, or just crack a prideful smirk.

Chrysler pulled that off last year with their “imported from Detroit’ commercial, but telling people to “go to green hell” is just plain cheesy. Hopefully you disagree, watch the video below and decide for yourself.

GALLERY: 2013 Cadillac ATS

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Out of all BMW‘s sold worldwide, 1 in 3 is a 3 series sedan. The BMW 3-series is one of the German automakers most iconic name plates and has been revamped with quite a few new options and new exterior styling.

The new 3 series sits a little bit longer and a little bit wider than its predecessor but has managed to trim some fat; 88 pounds of fat to be exact. The most noticeable change at first glance is the headlight brackets, taking the iconic circular front lights and stretching them out to meet the kidney grills which gives the front end of the car a much more angry and aggressive look. The longer and especially the wider stance is noticeable thanks to horizontal lines that are continuous along the front and rear of the car.

The 328i will come standard with BMW’s newest engine offering, a turbocharged 2.0L four cylinder which delivers 240hp and propels the 328i from 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds. The 335i will also be an option in the 3 series lineup and will come packing a turbocharged 3.0L six cylinder engine which puts out 300hp and runs the 0-60mph test in 5.4 seconds.

Each BMW 3 series will now be offered with a choice of three product lines, each differing from the others in small ways, but distinct enough to get noticed. The three choices are the Sport Line, the Luxury Line, and the Modern Line. The Sport Line will come with black exterior styling bits, a 10mm lower suspension setup, and black and red color scheme on the interior. The Luxury Line will come standard with wooden accents on the interior and chrome styling bits for exterior including a different grill. The Modern Line builds off of the luxury line and takes it a little further with matte chrome exterior styling bits, a choice of aluminium, pearl metallic, or textured wood finish on the interior and a “dark oyster” dashboard and steering wheel. Eventually, BMW will offer an M version of its 3 series which will be designed for racing and performance enthusiasts.

The new 3 series can also be outfitted with the all new Active Hybrid system which mates the six cylinder turbo engine with an all new electric engine, giving the 3 series upgraded fuel economy. The combined output of the Active Hybrid system is 340hp and pushes the 3 series from 0-60mph in 5.9 seconds. BMW says that the average fuel consumption of the Active Hybrid model will be between 40 and 44mpg and will have the capability to be driven in all electric mode.

All of the engine options for the 3 series will be combined with a six speed manual gearbox as standard technology but can be had with an eight speed automatic transmission which is all new.

The new 3 series is not a major departure from the previous five iterations, but its adds some really convenient and cutting edge features to an already successful car.

GALLERY: BMW 3 Series

GALLERY: BMW 3 Series