BMW 3 Series

The BMW 3 Series is a mid- range model series from the manufacturer BMW , with which the company achieves the highest quantities.

In June 1975 the first 3 Series was presented as a further technical development of the 02 series . In May 1981 the millionth example of the 3 Series rolled off the assembly line. The seventh generation of the series appeared in March 2019 .

The 3 Series is the most popular series of vehicles from BMW. The main competitors are the Audi A4 , the Mercedes-Benz C-Class , the Volvo S60 and the VW Passat . Other competitors are Citroën DS5 , Cadillac ATS , Lexus IS , Infiniti Q50 , Jaguar XE , Alfa Romeo Giulia and Škoda Octavia .

The series at a glance

BMW 3 Series in the BMW Museum

• BMW E21 (1975–1983): Successor to the 02 models , which were only available as two-door sedans.
• BMW E30 (1982–1994): A four-door sedan, a convertible, a station wagon called Touring , an electrically powered model (IE30), M3 and variants with all-wheel drive were added to the range.
• BMW E36 (1990–2000): The two-door sedan was replaced by the coupe and a hatchback variant with the addition of Compact was added. No all-wheel drive option.
• BMW E46 (1998–2007): For the first time, various body details differed from coupé and convertible. A facelift for sedan and touring followed in September 2001, for convertible and coupe in 2003. The all-wheel drive option was reintroduced. At the end of 2004, the BMW 1 Series replaced the Compact .
• BMW E90 (2005-2013): Coupé and convertible differ somewhat more from the sedan and the touring. The convertible now received a steel folding roof. A facelift for sedans and station wagons took place in September 2008, for coupé and convertible in March 2010.
• BMW F30 (2011-2019): The sedan was presented in Munich on October 14, 2011, followed by the Touring in August 2012. The coupé and convertible versions of the predecessor E90 rolled off the production line until autumn 2013 and have been in the 4- series since then replaced. In March 2015 there was a facelift for sedan and station wagon.
• BMW G20 (since 2019)

• 

  G20 series

• 

  G20, rear view

Timeline of the model variants of the BMW 3 Series

BMW 3 Series model history
generation	Sales description	body	1970s						1980s										1990s										2000s										2010s
			4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9
1st gen.	3 series	Notchback, two-door		E21
	3 series Baur TC1	Top convertible					E21 TC1
2nd gen.	3 series	Notchback, two / four doors									E30 / 2 , E30 / 4					E30 / 2 , E30 / 4 (facelift)
	3 series	Convertible										E30 / 2Cab , E30 / 2C
	M3	Notchback, convertible													E30 / 2S , E30 / 2SC
	3 Touring	Station wagon														E30 / 5
3rd gen.	3 series	Notchback, four-door																	E36 / 4
	3 series	Coupé / convertible																			E36 / 2 , E36 / 2C
	M3	Coupé, convertible, Lim.																			E36 / 2S , E36 / 2CS , E36 / 4S
	3 compact	Hatchback																					E36 / 5
	3 Touring	Station wagon																						E36 / 3
4th gen.	3 series	Notchback, four-door																									E46 / 4
	3 series	Coupé / convertible																										E46 / 2 , E46 / 2C
	3 Touring	Station wagon																										E46 / 3
	3 compact	Hatchback																												E46 / 5
	M3	Coupé / convertible																											E46 / 2S , E46 / 2CS
5th gen.	3 series	Notchback																																E90				E90 (facelift)
	3 Touring	Station wagon																																E91				E91 (facelift)
	3 series	Coupe																																	E92				E92 (facelift)
	3 series	Convertible																																	E93				E93 (facelift)
	M3	Notchback																																			E90	E90 (facelift)
	M3	Coupe																																		E92			E92 (facelift)
	M3	Convertible																																		E93			E93 (facelift)
6th gen.	3 series sedan	Notchback																																							F30			F30 facelift
	3 Touring	Station wagon																																							F31			F31 facelift
	3 Series Gran Turismo	Hatchback																																								F34
	3 long version (China)	Notchback																																							F35
	M3	Notchback																																									F80
7th gen.	3 series sedan	Notchback																																														G20
	3 Touring	Station wagon																																														G21

Web links

Commons : BMW 3 Series  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the BMW models
• Link catalog on the topic of BMW 3 Series at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ auto-motor-und-sport.de October 2, 2018: Mid-size sedan is getting longer, but lighter