Rumor: BMW M3 Sedan To Debut In 2013 Geneva Motor Show
BMW will unveil the new 2013 M3 sedan next year. That is what a report on Autoweek claims. The new M3 Sedan will be turbocharged and come without a manual gearbox.
Autoweek reports,
“The performance sedan, code-named F80, is expected to appear as a lightly veiled concept at the 2013 Geneva motor show, debuting the appearance and mechanical package of the M division’s eagerly anticipated Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG rival. A showroom-ready version with a production interior arrives at next year’s Frankfurt motor show, BMW sources say.”
Presuming this launch schedule will hold good, BMW will start selling the M3 sedan by the Winter of 2014 and will likely be priced higher than the M3 coupe, which is available for $60,995, due to the “higher positioning and greater levels of standard equipment.”
The 2013 M3, for the first time, will be brought out only as a sedan and not as a coupe, much in the same way as the its larger, expensive cousin, the M5. Instead, the same powertrain will then be used in a Gran Coupe variant, which will then get the name M4.
The Autoweek seems to have got quite a bit of information about the purported M3 sedan’s improved styling and build as well, thanks to a high ranking source from BMW.
“The M3 sedan will follow the example of the larger M5 in receiving a host of functional but subdued styling changes in comparison with the standard 3-series sedan. This means a deeper front bumper with large cooling ducts for the forced-induction engine, a lightly altered kidney grille, wider front fenders with the signature air vents, unique exterior mirrors and wider door sills. In back are a subtle trunk-lip spoiler and a deeper rear bumper that incorporates a diffuser to cool the rear differential.
Despite BMW’s increasing commitment to carbon-fiber construction, the M3 will retain a steel platform structure, though certain parts of the body shell, including its hood and doors, will be fashioned from aluminum.”
The M3 will get its power from a new straight-six turbocharged engine, upping the power output from the earlier, naturally aspirated V8′s 414 horsepower to 450-horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque.
The other interesting change that the M3 will get is the exclusion of manual gearbox, for the first time since the M3’s inception in 1986, which will be replaced by a standard seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
While the information given by the ‘source’ seems to be quite rich in details, we dare not take it too seriously until the official confirmation comes.
Source: Autoweek
