Saar: The market launches will commence in March 2019. It will be built in three of BMW’s plants – Munich (Germany), Shenyang (China) and San Luis Potosí (Mexico).

The all-new BMW 3 Series has finally broken cover. Into its seventh generation, the executive saloon features a new design language, is bigger, lighter and tighter than before and comes with a range of new gizmos, including driving assistance systems. And yes, it will be available with five engine-transmission options from the start of sales.

The new BMW 3 Series is 76mm longer, 16mm wider and 1mm taller than its predecessor. In other words, the sedan measures 4,709mm in length, 1,827mm in width and 1,441mm in height. Thanks to the same sort of underpinnings which do duty in the 5 and 7 Series models, the new 3 Series boasts a wheelbase that measures 2,851mm, which is 41mm longer than before. In order to enhance the driving dynamics of the car, BMW has even increased its track widths – 43mm at the front and 21mm at the rear.

In terms of design, the seventh-gen BMW 3 Series looks a lot more muscular in form. The iconic kidney grille has a more in-your-face design and it is flanked by two sleek and high-tech headlamp enclosures. As standard, the BMW 3 Series will come with full-LED headlights, while the adaptive LEDs with BMW’s Laserlight for non-dazzling high beam will be available as an optional extra. Speaking of which, the options list also includes LED front foglamps and air curtains, both of which are integrated into the outer air intakes.

Depending on the model variant chosen, the new BMW 3 Series will be available with alloy wheels ranging from 16 to 19 inches. The side profile is defined by a pair of character lines and side skirts. At the rear, the slim, darkened taillamp enclosures are full-LED.

Inside the cabin, the dashboard design is a lot cleaner than before. Stacked right in the centre, above the AC vents, is the 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard. Also, as standard, the infotainment screen is combined with a 5.7-inch digital instrument cluster. If those sizes are a bit small for your liking, you can pay extra and get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment display. No matter which one you go for, the infotainment system is only compatible with Apple CarPlay.

Over to the engine family. The new BMW 3 will be available with two, 4-cylinder petrol engines, two, 4-cylinder diesel engines and one 6-cylinder diesel engine. The two petrol engines, both with 2.0-litre displacement, will wear the 320i and 330i monikers at the back. While the former will produce 184PS/300Nm, the latter will generate 258PS/400Nm. As far as the 4-cylinder diesel engines are concerned, they too will have 2.0 litres of displacement capacity. The 318d and 320d will generate 150PS/320Nm and 190PS/400Nm respectively. The latter will also be offered with BMW’s xDrive four-wheel-drive system. Lastly, the 6-cylinder diesel engine will have a 3.0-litre displacement and will produce 265PS/580Nm. Apart from the 318d and the 320d without xDrive, all other engines will come as standard with 8-speed automatic transmission. The excluded variants will come as standard with a 6-speed manual gearbox. However, the 8-speed auto box can be had as an optional extra.

In the summer of next year, the new BMW 3 Series’ portfolio will be expanded with the entry of the 330e plug-in hybrid variant. The company claims that the total system output will be up to 251PS or 292PS with the XtraBoost function enabled. Using electricity alone, the BMW 330e is expected to travel distances of up to 60km. Around the same time, BMW will also introduce the M Performance version of the new 3 Series. It will wear the M340i xDrive moniker and will be powered by a new, 6-cylinder petrol engine with 374PS/500Nm on tap.

The market launch for the new BMW 3 Series is scheduled to begin in March 2019. The sedan will be built in three of BMW’s plants – Munich (Germany), Shenyang (China) and San Luis Potosí (Mexico). At the moment, it is unclear as to when BMW plans to land the new model in India. That said, it should happen sometime in 2019 only.