Munich. During the next days, production of the new
edition models of the most successful series in the history of the
company will commence at the BMW Munich plant. Once again, the BMW 3
Series – the epitome of sportiness in the mid-range class for six
generations now – will get an extra dose of driving pleasure. This
will be guaranteed by the exclusive equipment options offered by the
Edition Sport Line Shadow, the Edition Luxury Line Purity and the
Edition M Sport Shadow, which are all available both for the BMW 3
Series Sedan and the BMW 3 Series Touring. They optionally underline
either the dynamic driving experience or the modern premium appeal
offered by both models. More attractive than ever, the BMW 3 Series
highlights those characteristic qualities that have been a
distinguishing mark of this series for more than 40 years now.
With its brand-typical characteristics, even the very first model
generation of the BMW 3 Series managed to inspire a wide target group.
Just six years after its debut in the summer of 1975, it replaced its
predecessor, the legendary BMW 02, as the biggest selling model in
corporate history. In the following generations, the car’s popularity
steadily increased, with the BMW 3 Series becoming the world’s most
successful premium automobile. To this day, it also continues to hold
top position in BMW’s inter-brand statistics. Correspondingly fast,
the BMW 3 Series continues its success story: Whereas it used to take
66 months to exceed the threshold of a million sales, the current
generation of the BMW 3 Series recently took barely 29 months to reach
sales of one million. Meanwhile, more than 15 million BMW 3 Series
vehicles have been sold.
The BMW 3 Series: Tailor-made driving pleasure from the very
start.
Enhancing every-day traffic situations with brand-typical driving
pleasure has been the mission of the BMW 3 Series mission right from
the start. When it made its debut in 1975, powerful engines and a
sporty suspension setting provided for a balance between driving
dynamics and comfort that was unmatched in the segment. Moreover, the
driver-oriented BMW 3 Series cockpit of the first generation also had
its premiere. The ergonomically optimised positioning of control
elements was a further contribution towards the characteristic driving
experience. Additional wishes could be fulfilled with high-quality
equipment options. The list of these included not only a 5-speed
transmission or a 3-speed automatic transmission, but also air
conditioning, vent windows, sports seats and four different radio variants.
40 years ago: The six cylinder engine makes its debut in the
BMW 3 Series’ segment.
Exactly 40 years ago, the BMW 3 Series strengthened its top position
in terms of driving pleasure with the introduction of an exclusive
innovation under the bonnet. It was the first vehicle in its class to
feature six-cylinder engines. The new straight six-cylinder power
units developed especially for the BMW 3 Series delivered 90 kW/122 hp
in the BMW 320 launched in the autumn of 1977 and 105 kW/143 hp in the
BMW 323 that followed a few months later.
Above all, the BMW 323i with petrol injection, electronic engine
management and transistorized ignition rapidly became an everyday
athlete. With its high-revving, smooth-running engine, but above all
with performance normally only achieved by sports cars, it remained
unrivalled over a long period of time.
The new edition models: Expressive interior, exclusive
interior ambience.
The new BMW 3 Series edition models can be ordered in addition to the
existing equipment lines and in conjunction with all available
engines. The BMW 3 Series Sedan (combined fuel consumption:
7.9 – 3.9 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 185 – 102 g/km) and the
BMW 3 Series Touring (combined fuel consumption: 7.6 – 4.1 l/100 km;
combined CO2 emissions: 176 – 109 g/km), both come with a choice of
four petrol and six diesel engines. The offer for both body variants
ranges from the exceptionally economical BMW 316d with 85 kW/116 hp to
the BMW 340i, the top-of-the-range model with straight six-cylinder
engine and 240 kW/326 hp.
The new edition models offer enhanced driving pleasure with their
exclusive equipment features for both exterior and interior. The
Edition Sport Line Shadow and the Edition M Sport Shadow set
unmistakable accents with black inserts for the headlamp assemblies,
dark taillight clusters, black surrounds for the BMW kidney grille,
black inserts for the lower air intake, Chrome Black exhaust tailpipes
and 18-inch light alloy wheels sporting a double-spoke design. In
addition, the Edition M Sport Shadow includes the M Sports suspension,
the M aerodynamics package and M light alloys. The Edition Luxury Line
Purity is recognisable by specific exterior features in satin-finished
aluminium, which include the side window surrounds, the air intake
inserts, the BMW kidney grille bars and surrounds, the rear bumper
cover, exhaust tailpipes and 17-inch alloys.
Sports seats in fabric/leather and interior trim strips in the new
variant Dark Aluminium Carbon with Pearlescent Chrome accentuating
strips provide for a sophisticated and sporty flair in the interior of
the BMW 3 Series Edition Sport Line Shadow. Interior features of the
Edition M Sport Shadow comprise leather sports seats with blue
contrast stitching and interior trim strips in the variant Dark
Aluminium Carbon with Pearlescent Chrome accentuating strips. These
features are complemented by the M steering wheel, anthracite roof
liner, M doorsill trims and the Driver Experience Control Switch incl.
SPORT+ mode, all of which are already included in the range of
equipment for the model M Sport. In the interior of the Edition Luxury
Line Purity, the leather trim, which is also available in the new
colour variant Cognac, and interior trim strips in the precious wood
version Fineline light with accentuating strips in Pearlescent Chrome
contribute towards the exclusive ambience inside the car. All edition
models are equipped with an instrument panel with new, distinctive
contrast stitching and an instrument cluster with an extended range of
features. Moreover, models of the editions Sport Line Shadow and
Luxury Line Purity are fitted with a newly designed sports steering wheel.
LED headlights and LED fog lamps now standard, new options for
the driver-oriented cockpit and the body colour Sunset Orange
continue with the tradition.
Parallel to the market launch of the new edition models, the range of
standard equipment for the BMW 3 Series Sedan and the BMW 3 Series
Touring is being complemented by LED headlights and LED fog lamps. The
advancement achieved with these exceptionally bright headlamps and the
distinctive look of the dark inserts featured on the Edition Sport
Line Shadow and the Edition M Sport Shadow are reminiscent of an
innovation that was presented 40 years ago. At that time, the new
six-cylinder models of the BMW 3 Series were fitted for the first time
with double headlamps.
The current version of the driver-oriented cockpit still typical of
the BMW 3 Series is the result of consistent further development. The
Control Display, which in familiar manner is slightly inclined towards
the driver, now depicts the control menus in a tile arrangement with
animated graphics in live mode and also features in conjunction with
the navigation system Professional a touch screen function. The
multifunction instrument display is now available as an additional new
feature. Depending on the driver experience mode selected, the driver
has a choice of various different digital display options.
Furthermore, with the available range of body colours, the BMW 3
Series demonstrates yet again a sense of tradition. New in the range
is Sunset Orange – a contemporary interpretation of the colour which
was popular in the 1970s and available for the first generation of the
BMW 3 Series initially as Inca Orange and later as Phoenix Orange.