2023 BMW 3 Series Sedan And Touring Spied Hiding Their Facelifts

2022 will bring some significant changes to Series 3 as a mid-cycle update will usher in the long-awaited M3 Touring. In addition, Life Cycle Impulse will change the dashboard to accommodate iDrive 8 which is already implemented in the 2 Series Active Tourer, i4, and iX. In this fresh eye-catching shot of the sedan and wagon, we get a glimpse of the side-by-side screen.

Both body styles hide slimmer-looking headlights flanking the normal-sized grille as the standard 3 Series (thankfully) won’t get the M3’s giant kidney. The redesigned front bumper appears to have a new vertical air curtain and there could be a few other minor changes hiding under the hood. A closer look at this sedan reveals a honeycomb mesh pattern for the lower grille, indicating that the test vehicle has the M Sport Package.

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The charging port on the driver’s side front fender suggests we’re dealing with a prototype plug-in hybrid sedan. Additionally, the fuel cap hides the badge under a black band, which we believe to be the M logo. On the current 330e with the M Sport package, the “world’s most powerful letter” is located just above the charging port.

The facelifted Series 3 will spawn the i3 which functions as an electric sedan based on the long wheelbase model, but only in China where it is assembled. Elsewhere, the “i3” name will be retired in the coming months as BMW will end hatchback production in July. For a purely electric 3er available globally, we will have to wait until 2025 when the EV will arrive on the Neue Klasse platform. Reportedly will be sold with the next generation, the 3 Series combustion engine that uses the CLAR platform that is already known as today’s cars.

Meanwhile, the LCI Series 3 will debut later this year and we’re curious to see if the M340d will hold up given Europe’s increasingly stringent emission regulations. Also coming this year are the next-generation M2, M4 CSL, Series 7/i7, facelifted X5, and production-ready XM. This will all follow the recently updated Series 8/M8 lineup.