{"id":54787,"date":"2026-07-14T23:17:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/54787\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T23:17:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:17:40","slug":"bmws-new-m350-wears-i3-looks-over-a-straight-six-that-could-clear-400-hp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/54787\/","title":{"rendered":"BMW\u2019s New M350 Wears i3 Looks Over A Straight-Six That Could Clear 400 HP"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n The new G50 3-Series will stick to the CLAR platform, borrowing the high-tech Neue Klasse interior and exterior styling of its electric i3 sibling <\/p>\n

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Next-gen BMW<\/a> 3-Series spotted with more revealing camouflage.<\/p>\n

The model will ride on an updated version of the CLAR platform.<\/p>\n

It borrows Neue Klasse styling and tech from the electric i3 sedan.<\/p>\n

The new i3 electric sedan was the first low-slung model<\/a> to adopt the Neue Klasse styling language after the iX3 SUV, but it won\u2019t be the only BMW working this segment. Joining it is a new generation of the combustion-powered 3-Series, codenamed G50, expected to arrive later this year.<\/p>\n

Our spy photographers<\/a> have been catching prototypes of the next 3-Series since late 2025, but this latest sighting gives up far more. What we\u2019re looking at is the M350 performance variant, as evidenced by the quad exhausts, chunky wheels, and aero hardware.<\/p>\n

More: New i3 And 3-Series Reveal BMW\u2019s Most Striking Split Yet<\/a><\/p>\n

BMW has stripped the heavy camouflage off the bumpers, giving us the clearest view yet of the aggressive cooling intakes. Those sit below i3-style headlights linked by the slimmer kidney grille. In profile, the car keeps a familiar greenhouse with the Hofmeister kink, though the door handles now sit flush with the bodywork. This M350 prototype<\/a> also appears to wear production LED taillights, along with the usual M Performance body kit and its reworked bumpers, side skirts, rear diffuser, and lip spoiler.<\/p>\n


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\n The upcoming BMW 3-Series (above) compared to the fully electric i3 (below).
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Despite the similar dimensions and shared styling cues, the 3-Series has no mechanical relationship to the i3. Rather than riding on the Neue Klasse architecture, it stays rooted in the current combustion model\u2019s CLAR underpinnings, now with a round of improvements.<\/p>\n

More: BMW Is Killing The M340i For Something That\u2019s More Than A New Name<\/a><\/p>\n

In other words, the new G50 amounts to a heavily updated take on the current G20 3-Series, which has been around since late 2018 with a facelift in 2022 and a milder revision in 2024<\/a>. That\u2019s hardly bad news for BMW fans, since it means the car keeps the same sexy proportions.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest knocks against the Neue Klasse i3<\/a> was that its dash-to-axle ratio and rear volume came up shorter than usual. The gas 3-Series fixes that with a longer hood, a more upright windshield, and a greater rear overhang, giving it the look of a traditional RWD sedan.<\/p>\n

Neue Klasse Tech Moves Inside<\/p>\n


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\n The interior of the BMW i3.
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Inside, the new 3 will almost certainly lift the Neue Klasse tech wholesale from the i3<\/a>, meaning the 17.9-inch infotainment, the pillar-to-pillar lower windshield display, the optional 3D head-up unit, the configurable ambient lighting, and the four-spoke steering wheel all carry over.<\/p>\n

Engines And Trims<\/p>\n

Like the car it replaces, the next 3-Series stays available with gasoline, diesel, mild-hybrid, and plug-in hybrid power in rear-drive and xDrive all-wheel-drive forms. North America starts with the 330 and its 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making around 260 hp, with headroom for more if BMW massages the B48.<\/p>\n

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Baldauf<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the sporty M350 shown here, running a hotter take on today\u2019s B58 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six that reportedly clears 400 horsepower, up from the current M340\u2019s 386 hp in North American trim. Whether BMW fields both rear-drive and xDrive versions or commits to all-wheel drive alone this time remains an open question, though the eight-speed automatic almost certainly arrives as standard. The fate of the M340d in the next generation stays just as murky.<\/p>\n

More: BMW\u2019s Neue 3-Series Has Quad Exhausts, But It\u2019s Not The One You\u2019re Thinking Of<\/a><\/p>\n

Crowning the range will be a combustion-powered M3<\/a> carrying a mild-hybrid twin-turbo 3.0-liter six, though that performance flagship lands later in the product cycle.<\/p>\n

When It Arrives<\/p>\n

BMW hasn\u2019t officially locked in a launch date for the new G50 3-Series, but it could surface before the end of 2026 as production reportedly kicks off in November 2026. Whether the premium compact sedan reaches US dealers<\/a> in time for the 2027 model year is still up in the air. A Touring version for both the i3 and the new gas 3-Series has also been confirmed. BMW opened the door to more wagons in the States following the success of the M5 Touring, but its arrival still isn\u2019t certain and could end up limited to the M3 on this side of the pond.<\/p>\n

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