A new BMW 3-Series prototype has now been spotted in
public, wearing heavy camouflage, yet having noticeably wider fenders. As for the rest of the car, we can see what appear
to be M side skirts, a small trunk lid spoiler and a set of quad-exhausts,
which is actually what gave the car away it made more noise than any regular
3-Series prototype seen so far.
According to sources, the 2020 M3 will be powered by
a new twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine, utilizing the same
water-injection system as the M4 GTS, sharing the latter's power output of 493
HP and 598 Nm. If this turns out to be true, it will make
the new car significantly more powerful than the current M3, not to mention
lighter and more Eco-friendly, if it does indeed adopt a 48-volt mild hybrid
system and electrically spooled turbos.
The all-new M3 is
also expected to come with all-wheel drive, although rumor has it this is going
to cost buyers extra and that it won't be standard on the car. The system will
likely be coupled to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, while the six-speed
manual may yet survive the generational shift, if only in rear-wheel drive
variants. Grain of salt though.
The launch date for the 2020 M3 remains unknown. But
since the all-new 3-Series will come out to play sometime next year, we could
see the M-version make its presence felt either in late 2018 or sometime in
2019, the latter scenario being more probable.
Cr : Carscoops/Performancedrive