Next-Gen BMW M3 Smiles for the Camera Ahead of 2019 Debut
The next-generation BMW M3 has been spied undergoing tests ahead of an expected debut in late 2019.
This prototype is based on the all-new 3-Series, which rides on a shortened version of BMW’s new CLAR (Cluster Rear Architecture) platform that also serves in the new M5. The car is bigger than the current 3-Series, but will shed some weight and also be a bit more rigid thanks to the platform’s use of high-strength steel and aluminum. Also helping to trim weight will be an expected carbon fiber roof, which is standard on the M5, along with other carbon components.
SEE ALSO: 2018 BMW M5 Review and First Drive
BMW’s twin-turbocharged inline six engine should remain under the hood with power boosted up to or over the 465 horsepower mark, which is more than the current M3 Competition and M3 CS, but less than the ultra hardcore M4 GTS. Unlike the M5, the M3 should remain rear-wheel drive only, with BMW M believing its sport compact sedan is better suited to a rear-wheel drive layout. The M3 may also become too expensive if the high-tech M xDrive system from the M5 were employed.
The all-new M3 will lead an M-car assault that will see BMW introduce 11 full-blown M vehicles and another 15 M-Performance vehicles by 2020. We’re expecting it to make its debut sometime in late 2019, before going on sale early in 2020.
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Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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I sincerely hope that the rear quarter of the car doesn't stay this way. I bought the M3 over the M4 this time around because the huge wheel arches (her "hips," if you will) made the car look more like the performance machine she is. This design has much more of the M4 smoothed "swell" to hide the wider rear stance. Not sure I like this aesthetic. But, I know me, and I'll probably buy it anyway.