Photo: theophiluschin.com
Next year BMW will be releasing quite an impressive number of new cars. While the 1 Series facelift and the new version of the X1 are some of the highlights alongside the flagship 7 Series that will come out at Frankfurt, the one model that will matter the most is the facelifted 3 Series.
It might come as a shock to some but the truth of the matter is that this car is the best selling model in the company’s line-up, accounting for nearly half of their yearly sales. And that means close to a million units sold a year. Therefore, the most anticipated launch of 2015 will the be LCI (life cycle impulse) 3 Series.
Even though we know a lot about the technical details of the new car we have no idea what will be changed on it, design-wise. The camouflaged cars we’ve spotted so far were wearing camo on the front and rear bumpers and had a patch here and there covering what BMW considers essential to keep away from prying eyes. That’s where we’re expecting the biggest changes to happen but don’t think that they will be mind blowing.
Just take a look at the refreshed 6 Series range and you’ll see what we mean. The 2016 models just got a new set of headlights and slight changes done on the front bumper’s air intakes but only for the M Sport line. Yes, ‘small’ would be the perfect adjective to describe the alterations.
The same will be the case for the 3 Series, just as Theophilus Chin seems to suggest with his latest rendering. He added LED headlights from the 4 Series models to the mix along with a new bumper that will (almost) surely not look like this on the end product.
Technical upgrades redefine the model
The 2016 3 Series will have to go up against a new model from Mercedes-Benz and, in the future, against the new Audi A4 so things are not looking too great for a car that will soon be 4 years old.
However, with the facelift BMW is aiming at keeping it competitive, introducing the B-family engines used on the current MINI and new plug-in hybrid that is rumored to return a fuel consumption that would rival the i8.
The setup for this model will include an electric motor housed by the gearbox that allows the 3er to travel on electric range alone for around 20 miles and reach a speed of 75 mph without releasing a single gram of CO2.
The internal combustion plant will be a 2-liter turbocharged mill making around 200 HP. Together the two will offer the 328e model a combined fuel consumption that can go as far as 117 mpg (2 l/100 km). Oh, and the 330i moniker will also make a comeback.
Even though we know a lot about the technical details of the new car we have no idea what will be changed on it, design-wise. The camouflaged cars we’ve spotted so far were wearing camo on the front and rear bumpers and had a patch here and there covering what BMW considers essential to keep away from prying eyes. That’s where we’re expecting the biggest changes to happen but don’t think that they will be mind blowing.
Just take a look at the refreshed 6 Series range and you’ll see what we mean. The 2016 models just got a new set of headlights and slight changes done on the front bumper’s air intakes but only for the M Sport line. Yes, ‘small’ would be the perfect adjective to describe the alterations.
The same will be the case for the 3 Series, just as Theophilus Chin seems to suggest with his latest rendering. He added LED headlights from the 4 Series models to the mix along with a new bumper that will (almost) surely not look like this on the end product.
Technical upgrades redefine the model
The 2016 3 Series will have to go up against a new model from Mercedes-Benz and, in the future, against the new Audi A4 so things are not looking too great for a car that will soon be 4 years old.
However, with the facelift BMW is aiming at keeping it competitive, introducing the B-family engines used on the current MINI and new plug-in hybrid that is rumored to return a fuel consumption that would rival the i8.
The setup for this model will include an electric motor housed by the gearbox that allows the 3er to travel on electric range alone for around 20 miles and reach a speed of 75 mph without releasing a single gram of CO2.
The internal combustion plant will be a 2-liter turbocharged mill making around 200 HP. Together the two will offer the 328e model a combined fuel consumption that can go as far as 117 mpg (2 l/100 km). Oh, and the 330i moniker will also make a comeback.
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