Independent artists’ renderings are usually a shot in the dark or pure imagination. However, that’s not the case here. Our friend Theottle analyzed spy shots of the next-generation BMW 3 Series and then digitally stripped off the camouflage. The rendering still isn’t an entirely accurate depiction of the sports sedan, but it gives us an idea of how the “G50” could look.
BMW has already previewed the car’s styling with the 2023 Vision Neue Klasse concept. Technically, the showcar hinted at the fully electric i3 sedan. However, we know for a fact the ICE and EV models are going to look largely the same. That said, the gas car seen here has a larger nose to accommodate a combustion engine. In addition, the conventionally powered 3er is likely to have a longer rear overhang. But everything else should be strikingly similar, with BMW telling us you’ll have a hard time which car is ICE and which is EV.
The spy shots upon which the design exercise is based featured the M Performance model with a quad exhaust. It’s expected to change its name from M340i to M350 and keep the “B58” inline-six engine. The rendering illustrates a lesser 330i, but those quad exhausts won’t be there on the production model. BMW Group of Design boss Adrian Van Hooydonk told us at CES that only M Performance and M models will have visible exhaust tips from now on. The cheaper cars will hide the exhaust tips underneath the rear bumper.
The clean design of the Vision Neue Klasse concept should translate nicely in the next 3 Series “G50” and its already photographed electric i3 “NA0” counterpart. Expect to see a wide grille neatly merging with the headlights as opposed to the vertical kidneys of the Vision Neue Klasse X concept and the upcoming second-generation iX3. Prototypes spotted undergoing testing had flush door handles and gave the impression they were hiding a less busy design compared to the current “G20” model.
Production of the eighth-generation 3 Series is reportedly starting in November 2026. We’ve heard through the grapevine that BMW won’t make the “G50” in Munich. Instead, assembly could take place in Dingolfing, where the 3 Series Touring “G51” is likely to be built as well. In Munich, BMW has confirmed it will build the i3 electric sedan from 2026. From the end of 2027, only EVs are going to roll off the lines in Munich.
Rendering: Theottle / YouTube
