In Austria, Magna Steyr’s line built a new red xDrive35d which is an example of the last vehicle of the current generation X3. Seperated merely by a few hours, the first 2011 model of BMW X3 spieled off the line, which took place at BMW’s own production facility at South Carolina and Spartanburg. It is important to note that only a few months back, the BMW had announced the official launch of its all-new 2011 X3 crossover model. The newly announced 2011 model was moved into production very recently. Automotive experts are of the opinion that the new model would be launched for sales in the market this coming fall.
It is worth noting that BMW had relocated production of the sports utility vehicle after the announcement of the launch of the 2011 X3. The production of the new model was shifted to BMWs own production facility in Spartanburg from Magna Steyr’s plant in Graz, Austria, a move that automotive experts and analysts firmly believe are an indication of the fact that three out of the four BMW X SUVs will now be produced in United States. According to BMW, its production facility at Spartanburg in South Carolina is the “expertise center for the BMW X models”. This is because the plant is already being used to build the X5 and the X6 models of BMW.
The new X3 is expected to be significantly improved over its earlier generation model. The new model features a completely new interior and the old harsh crossover image along with the boring interiors has been done away with for good. It is believed sports vehicle is styled after the current generation E90 3series and has been increased in their size. This move is believed to allow BMW’s X1, a small sibling model to grow and capture the market segment.
BMW has disclosed that the new X3 model would be made available in two different versions of BMW’s 3.0-liter I-6 engine. This would include the normally aspirated N52 and the single turbo N55. In addition to this, the industry experts also believe that the new hybrid version is also likely to be launched very soon. It is believed that there could be other future powertrain additions as well in order to meet the CAFÉ regulations. The future powertrain additions may include a small four-cylinder version and the diesel engine version.
The US version of the X3 model in most probabilities would have an eight-speed automatic gear transmission box from ZF. Usually the gearbox from ZF is prominently found in BMWs lineup. If you were a BMW fan, you would soon be able to buy the new powerful BMW X3 at BMW dealerships throughout the country not later than the coming fall.
Source: 4wheelsnews
