1. Home
    2. Car News
    3. BMW
    4. 3 Series
    5. News

    2023 BMW 3 Series leaked

    The facelifted BMW 3 Series has been revealed courtesy of the Chinese Government, revealing a series of sporty aesthetic tweaks.

    William Stopford

    William Stopford

    News Editor

    William Stopford

    William Stopford

    News Editor

    Don’t ever tell the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology you’re throwing a surprise party.

    Once again, images of a vehicle – this time the 2023 BMW 3 Series – have been revealed by the government department prior to its official debut.

    The facelifted 3 Series is expected to be officially revealed later this year.

    The pictures, shared across Chinese media, depict four variants: the 330i, plus the China-exclusive, long-wheelbase 320Li, 325Li and 330Li.

    All four versions feature largely the same front-end styling, with a restyled front bumper featuring a trapezoidal air dam with a hexagonal insert, bookended by slim, vertically-oriented cutouts.

    The headlights are more uniformly shaped and have a slimmer look, along with restyled and repositioned daytime running lights.

    Unusually, one of the models features an entirely chrome waterfall grille, another features only a chrome outlined grille, while the other two feature black grilles with chrome elements inside. Despite this, all feature the same bumper design, which appears to be that of an M Sport variant.

    Currently, BMW offers the 3 Series with three different front-end treatments – Sport, M Sport and Luxury Line – which each feature different bumper designs to each other.

    It’s unclear whether BMW is simplifying 3 Series styling exclusively for the Chinese-built model, or if we’ll see these unified faces in markets such as Australia.

    Down back, there’s a restyled bumper with a large diffuser. The reflectors are now vertically-oriented and positioned lower in the bumper, though somewhat surprisingly the tail lights are little changed.

    There are also some different wheel designs on the updated 3 Series. Overall, the changes are reminiscent of those doled out to the recently updated X3 and X4, and yet there’s visual distinction between the updated 3 Series and the new i3, a Chinese-exclusive, electric 3 Series.

    The Ministry images don’t show the interior, however the new i3 has been revealed with a version of BMW’s new “curved dash” motif, something the brand has been rolling out throughout its range.

    This comprises a large digital instrument cluster and central touchscreen, situated within one housing.

    The i3 also features the latest version of BMW’s operating system, OS8.0.

    Spy photos appear to confirm the 3 Series will follow the i3 in getting this new set-up.

    The Ministry’s listing notes three different petrol powertrains: one with 128kW of power, one with 150kW of power, and one with 200kW. These likely correspond with the 320Li, 325Li, and 330i/330Li, respectively.

    Currently, BMW Australia offers the 3 Series with a choice of three turbocharged four-cylinder engines, one of which has a plug-in hybrid system, plus an inline six.

    Of note, the four-cylinder 320i produces 135kW of power and 300Nm of torque, while the 330i pumps out 190kW of power and 400Nm of torque.

    The updated 3 Series will go up against the recently introduced W206-series Mercedes-Benz C-Class, while a new Audi A4 has been spied and is expected to launch in 2023.

    Come 2025, BMW will have a similarly-sized electric sedan for all markets. It’ll debut the Neue Klasse EV architecture and will be built in Hungary.

    To the end of April 2022, the 3 Series is still outselling the C-Class, with 1000 sales against 891 for the Benz. However, both have been overtaken by the Tesla Model 3, of which 4469 have been sold this year.

    MORE: Everything BMW 3 Series

    Expert Reviews, Expert Advice, Expert Prices

    CarExpert does the hard work to get you the best price. No negotiating, no hidden costs, just expert help and real savings on your next new car.

    William Stopford

    William Stopford

    News Editor

    William Stopford

    News Editor

    William Stopford is an automotive journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. William is a Business/Journalism graduate from the Queensland University of Technology who loves to travel, briefly lived in the US, and has a particular interest in the American car industry.

    Read more

    You might also like