Earlier this week, a report came out stating that BMW’s six cylinder engines will be missing from the upcoming 3 Series Facelift. The publication in question stated that the Euro 7 emission regulations are the culprit. But fortunately for all BMW fans and owners, we can now report that the report was incorrect. Pun intended. The BMW M340i and M340d will continue to live on with the facelifted 3 Series. Our own sources say that the 2022 BMW M340i and M340d are currently in the FEP (Final Evaluation Phase) and they will arrive in July 2022.

BMW will continue to offer the M340i and M340d in the sedan and touring variants, but only the M340i sedan will be offered in the United States. The 3 Series Facelift sedans will be in production until October 2025 while the touring models will be phased out in June 2026. It’s unclear at the moment what the next generation 3 Series will bring as far as powertrains, but we’ve already reported that the future 3 Series, along with the X3 SAV, will be the first models built on the electric-focused Neue Klasse platform (NK).

“What is clear is that Neue Klasse is not like BMW i3,” Frank Weber, BMW Chief of Development told us last week. We [will] go into the biggest segments we have worldwide, 3 Series and X3 from the beginning. Steep ramp up,” added Weber. “But what you will notice is that we can’t take all of our volume immediately onto the new platform. Neue Klasse is about transforming BMW and the core of BMW onto this new architecture.”

The current G20 M340i and M340d are two of the brand’s most exciting variants, both combustion engines offering exquisite performance. The B58 turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine produces a power output of 374 HP and 500 NM (369 lb-ft) of torque. “Thanks” to the mandatory Otto particulate filter, the European version of the B58 engine boosts 8 HP less compared to the North American version of the M340i. The sprint from 0 – 62 mph (0 – 100 km/h) is done in 4.5 seconds.

The BMW M340d uses the B57 6-cylinder diesel engine which employs electrification by means of the 48-volt integrated starter-generator. At a peak output of 340 PS (335 hp) achieved at 4,400 rpm, the M340d falls 34 PS short of the M340i. But the lower power numbers are effectively compensated by the torque characteristics, which help achieve outstanding accelerations and fast stints. The sport settings of the 8-speed Steptronic transmission and the standard xDrive chassis work together to deliver an impressive 0-100 km/h sprint in just 4.8 seconds.

So for now, we can all relax and enjoy the six-cylinder engines since the future is certainly looking electric.