{"id":85064,"date":"2026-03-18T16:12:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T20:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=85064"},"modified":"2026-03-18T16:12:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T20:12:26","slug":"bmw-i3-touring-first-renderings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=85064","title":{"rendered":"First Renderings of the BMW i3 Touring Reveal a Wagon Worth Waiting For"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"post-summary-wrap\">\n<h3 class=\"post-summary-title\">Article Summary<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"post-summary-list\">\n<li>BMW confirmed a new 3 Series Touring at the i3 Sedan premiere, with CEO Oliver Zipse teasing a shadowy silhouette at the close of his presentation.<\/li>\n<li>The renders show the i3&#8217;s front-end design and full-width taillights carried over to a classic long-roof Touring shape, suggesting a cohesive and production-plausible look.<\/li>\n<li>Whether the Touring arrives as a pure electric i3, a combustion G51, or both remains open \u2014 but recent reports suggest the ICE version is back on the table.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>BMW\u2019s surprise <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2026\/03\/18\/bmw-3-series-touring-confirmed\/\">teaser of a new 3 Series Touring<\/a> at the end of the i3 Sedan premiere set the internet ablaze, and now the first renderings of what that long-roof model could look like are here.\u00a0The renders give us a good indication of what the confirmed Touring body style might look like.<\/p>\n<p>Up front, the i3 Touring borrows its face wholesale from the sedan: the wide, illuminated kidney grilles flanked by sharp, angular headlights that define the new electric 3 Series. It\u2019s a bold, modern interpretation of BMW\u2019s front fascia, and it translates beautifully to the wagon proportions. The hood line flows cleanly into what becomes a longer, more purposeful greenhouse \u2014 unmistakably a Touring.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bmw-i3-touring-renderings-01.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-511754\" title=\"BMW I3 TOURING RENDERINGS 01\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bmw-i3-touring-renderings-01-830x467.jpg\" alt=\"BMW I3 TOURING RENDERINGS 01\" width=\"830\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bmw-i3-touring-renderings-01-830x467.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bmw-i3-touring-renderings-01-1820x1024.jpg 1820w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bmw-i3-touring-renderings-01-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bmw-i3-touring-renderings-01-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bmw-i3-touring-renderings-01.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The rear is where things get really interesting. The classic long-roof silhouette that has defined every 3 Series Touring since the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwblog.com\/2020\/05\/08\/video-bmw-group-classic-tells-the-story-behind-the-bmw-e30-touring\/\">E30<\/a> is very much present, maintaining that sleek, fastback-adjacent roofline that drops into a near-vertical tailgate. But the i3\u2019s identity isn\u2019t lost back there. The taillights carry over the same graphic treatment from the sedan \u2014 slim, full-width light bars connecting across the tailgate. The bumper and lower diffuser section also reflect the cleaner, ICE-free aesthetic that distinguishes the i-branded models from their combustion counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>The overall proportions in these renders feel right. Long enough to be genuinely practical, low enough to remain sporty, and cohesive enough to look like something BMW would actually put into production rather than a wishful exercise.<\/p>\n<h3>The Teaser That Started It All<\/h3>\n<p>BMW took everyone by surprise at the end of the i3 Sedan premiere when CEO Oliver Zipse wrapped up his speech and a shadowy Touring silhouette materialized in the background. It was brief, deliberate, and effective \u2014 classic BMW showmanship (in a good way). The long-roof model is confirmed as one of 40 new and facelifted vehicles coming by the end of 2027, but one central question still lingers: will it come with combustion engines?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve previously reported that BMW might skip a new 3 Series Touring with gasoline and diesel engines entirely. However, the situation may be more nuanced than that. Zipse didn\u2019t explicitly introduce the Touring as an i3 \u2014 he called it a 3 Series. The fully electric Touring is internally known as the \u201cNA1,\u201d while the combustion sedan is the \u201cG50\u201d and the electric sedan is the \u201cNA0.\u201d No spy shots of either Touring variant have surfaced yet, which suggests the estate is unlikely to arrive before 2027 at the earliest.<\/p>\n<p>We did hear in the last few weeks that the G51 3 Series Touring (ICE) topic has been revisited and the car is coming. Without a doubt, that\u2019s the right move. Europeans still highly embrace their tourings and while an i3 Touring will be very compelling from a performance and efficiency perspective, the combustion-powered 3 Series Touring is too iconic to let go that easily.<\/p>\n<h3>A Tradition Worth Preserving<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/bmw-325ix-touring-e30-01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-493507\" title=\"bmw-325ix-touring-e30-01\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/bmw-325ix-touring-e30-01-830x622.jpg\" alt=\"E30 3 Series Touring\" width=\"830\" height=\"622\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/bmw-325ix-touring-e30-01-830x622.jpg 830w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/bmw-325ix-touring-e30-01-1366x1024.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/bmw-325ix-touring-e30-01-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/bmw-325ix-touring-e30-01-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bmwblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/bmw-325ix-touring-e30-01.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The 3 Series Touring tradition stretches back to the 1980s and the iconic E30 Touring, and the fact that it has survived the SUV era says everything about the wagon\u2019s enduring appeal \u2014 particularly in Europe, where the Touring consistently outsells its sedan sibling in several markets.<\/p>\n<p>The ideal scenario, of course, is the one that pleases everyone: a conventionally powered 3 Series Touring for those who want a diesel or inline-six, running alongside the fully electric i3 Touring for those who\u2019ve made the switch. That would mirror the sedan lineup and give BMW maximum flexibility across markets.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the i3 Sedan enters production in August, with European deliveries kicking off this fall and the U.S. market following in 2027. So we don\u2019t expect the i3 Touring until next year, and likely a bit longer for an ICE version as well.\u00a0The 3 Series Touring, in whichever form it takes, remains one of the most anticipated nameplates on BMW\u2019s near-term roadmap \u2014 and these first renderings give us every reason to keep watching.<\/p>\n<p>[Renderings: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theottle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Theophilus Chin<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p><iframe type=\"text\/plain\" class=\"cmplazyload\" data-cmp-vendor=\"s30\" data-cmp-purpose=\"c52\" title=\"BMW i3 Touring\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-cmp-type=\"text\/plain\" data-cmp-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6rpuOei8CJA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Article Summary BMW confirmed a new 3 Series Touring at the i3 Sedan premiere, with CEO Oliver Zipse teasing a shadowy silhouette at the close of his presentation. The renders show the i3&#8217;s front-end design and full-width taillights carried over to a classic long-roof Touring shape, suggesting a cohesive and production-plausible look. Whether the Touring [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":85065,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=85064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/85065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=85064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=85064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=85064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}