The odds were against the M3 Touring making it to North America from day one. Since BMW didn t bring the regular “G21” 3 Series Wagon to the United States, it would ve been too expensive to homologate the “G81”. The accountants from Munich crunched the numbers and ultimately decided it just wasn t worth it given the niche appeal.
It s too late in the car s life cycle to revert this decision. That’s especially true since the long-roof M3 has already been subjected to a Life Cycle Impulse. Long story short, the “G81” boat has sailed. However, things could change with the next-generation model, but under one condition. The US-bound M5 Touring has to generate enough interest to make BMW consider selling the smaller performance wagon in America.
That s according to the Vice President of BMW Product Management. In an interview with CarBuzz magazine, Andreas Meyer said: “[The] current M3 Touring is already in its life cycle, so it would be very unlikely that we bring it to the US, but if [the] M5 Touring does well enough, maybe the next generation [of the M3 Touring] could come [to America].
That sounds promising, but we haven t heard anything yet about the possibility of another M3 Touring with a gas engine. According to our sources close to BMW, only an M3 Sedan is in the works under the G84 codename. It ll supposedly have an evolution of the S58 engine, so the inline-six 3.0-liter twin-turbo powerhouse is staying. Expect to see it near the end of 2027 or early 2028.
What s more likely to happen sooner than another ICE-powered M3 Touring is a full-fat M derivative of the electric i3 wagon. Based on the Neue Klasse platform, the high-performance M3 EV estate is reportedly known within BMW as the “ZA1.” It s scheduled to come out after the already confirmed M flavor of the i3 sedan, which should see the light of day around 2027. The ZA0 could have around 700 horsepower in its base guise.
In the meantime, BMW is putting the finishing touches on a hardcore “G81”. The M3 CS Touring is scheduled for a release in 2025 as a limited-run special edition molded after last year’s M3 CS Sedan but with the M4 CS Coupe s headlights. Production is supposedly starting next March and ending in February 2026. Fewer than 2,000 units will be assembled and all are going to utilize the 543-horsepower specification of the S58 engine.
Source: CarBuzz
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
