Development of the new 3 series sedan from BMW is in progress albeit under heavy covers. The car to be named F30 has been spied upon only till now at the Nurburgring race track in Germany. From that we get that it is going to be a four door prototype as of now. Other than that not much is known about its exterior get up.
Going by the present styles from BMW it could be expected to have a protruding kidney grill in line with the 5 series and 7 series saloon.
The interior snap shots gives hints of a new dashboard design with 1-Series-esque air-vents.
The model is expected to be available in a variety of gasoline as well as diesel engines. There is also talk that BMW is working on a 4 cylinder gasoline engine with single and twin turbo charging and direct fuel injection system along with stop start systems.
The engines are possibly rated for 1.6 to 2.0 liter displacement and deliver 230 hp of power. There would be more powerful version thereafter.
Some models would also be fitted with the BMW trademark inline-six engines and some variant of the 3.0 liter twin scroll turbo unit that delivers 306 hp and 400 nm that is 295 lb ft torque. This engine is found in the current 335i from BMW.
There would also be a diesel version which would be made up of four and six cylinder turbocharged units. All the engines would be installed with the start stop mechanism. Confirmation if BMW would also be introducing the mild hybrid engine is yet awaited.
There is a successor to the M3 that is under production by BMW. It is however not clear if the current naturally aspirated V8 would be retained or a newly developed straight six twin turbocharged engine with direct injection would be introduced.
The new models are going to be available in different body styles. They would include the Touring Convertible and Coupe styles and also a crossover of the GT variant which would be looking like the 50series Gran Turism.
In 2012 the sedan format of this 3 series is expected to be available in the market
Source: carscoop
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