BMW is readying an all-new version of their venerated 3 Series and while its projected global launch in 2019 is still some distance away, an near-production version should be slated for an early 2018 unveil at a major motor show - possibly sooner.
Called the G20, a prototype of the next 3 Series was spotted recently being driven hard around the Nurburgring, obviously as part of its development shakedown. But what sets this particular unit apart from the previous test mules is a previously unseen front bumper design.
There are other tells too, as this one wears slightly thinner camouflage over the test cars previously seen, giving us a clearer view as to how the final production model will look. Obviously, it will take liberal design cues from its big brother, the G30 5 Series, which in-turn took cues from the larger G11 7 Series.
The upcoming G20 3 Series should feature a wider pair of kidney grilles that sit above a three-intake layout as seen on the newest 5er, and flanking them should be more swept back headlights. Down the side, we can clearly see contours that match with the wheel well air vents in the newest BMWs.
Basically, consider this fair warning that the 2019 BMW 3 Series could look like a mildly shrunken 5 Series, which is fairly in-line with a strategy its closest competition is also adopting, affectionally termed as trickle-down design. The current crop of Mercedes-Benz saloons look rather similar, and by all indications the Audi A4, A6, and A8 will also look almost too similar.
For more on BMW cars, check out our Showroom.
