BMW’s Next Generation 3-Series Will Be In GT Form — Say G’Bye To The M3 Sedan

BMW will start production on their next-generation 3-Series during 2012, where the car will then be available for purchase. According to sources, the new 3-Series will be created on the company’s MSB architecture and this means that the strut and front-end layout will be similar to that of the 1-Series. Essentially this means that the company will do away with the current double wishbone layout currently used across the series.

It’s said that there will be five body styles for the 3-Series, and this will be a first timer for the brand. The first style will, of course, be a sedan form and this will arrive first during the March month. The Touring variant will be the second version and we’re expecting to see this around September of 2012.

Following those two models will be a coupe and convertible model. This should arrive around 2013 and 2014. BMW has really spaced those two models out.

Now if you add all those variants up you get to four. Now, what’s the fifth style? Well, it’s been hinted that a Gran Turismo version should appear in 2013. This would be at a similar time to the coupe version, and they should be released in the same month.

Coupe and GT markets are very different, so BMW are sure that it will not hurt their sales.

The 3-Series GT is expected to be more ‘lifestyle-orientated’ than the 5-Series GT and this means that there will be different engines and better day-to-day features.. Or something.

What about the BMW M3? It’s been said the Bavarian automaker will drop the sedan, as well as the V8 engine. A 3.0-litre twin turbocharged 6-cylinder with about 450-horsepower will replace the V8 in a coupe-only Motorsport model.

Thank goodness. The sedan was lame.

[via:egmcartech]