{"id":12913,"date":"2021-11-04T05:33:39","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T09:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/auto\/?p=12913"},"modified":"2021-11-04T05:33:39","modified_gmt":"2021-11-04T09:33:39","slug":"bmw-m3-touring-not-originally-planned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=12913","title":{"rendered":"BMW admits M3 Touring wasn’t originally planned, hints it will be AWD-only"},"content":{"rendered":"

At long last, BMW is giving the M3 a longer roof and a bigger boot. While the E46 M3 Touring<\/a> was a one-time prototype affair, 2022 will be the year when you\u2019ll finally be able to buy a speedy 3 Series wagon benefitting from the full-fat M treatment. However, it initially wasn\u2019t supposed to happen. In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport<\/em>, former M CEO Markus Flasch admitted the Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate wasn\u2019t originally planned for this M3 generation.<\/p>\n

When asked by the German journalists for which car he had to fight particularly hard for so that it could see the light of production day, the man responsible for the M division in the last three years answered: \u201cThe M3 Touring is certainly one of them, because it was never part of a company-wide strategy. It was conceived by creative minds in Garching [where BMW has an R&D center] and suddenly emerged from the workshop like a submarine. And it was so convincingly made that we very quickly received approval for series production. For me, this is also a sign that the organization is extremely healthy, committed, and intrinsically motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n

As to why BMW needed decades to introduce a production-ready M3 Touring, Markus Flasch \u2013 who is now in charge of the large car division \u2013 explained the conditions have never been this favorable until the G20-generation 3 Series arrived. Specifically, the rear axles of the sedan and wagon are now identical in concept.<\/p>\n