The redesigned BMW X3 prototype has been seen again, this time tested at Germany’s Nürburgring racecourse. The new crossover will be the fourth generation of the best-selling nameplate.
The current X3 arrived in 2017 as a 2018 model year and was given a mid-cycle update for 2022. In BMW tradition, we’ll see this redesigned X3 arrive in 2024 as a 2025 model. A related, redesigned version of the X4 should arrive in around six months to a year. the year after.
The prototype is heavily camouflaged but we can see that its proportions will be very similar to the current generation, albeit a bit more rounded. The shape of the headlights is clear, and the grille seems to take on a higher design, although camouflage gear has been applied to make the grille look similar to that of the current X3.
We couldn’t see the interior but a neat dashboard with floating screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment center is a must have, as seen on recent BMWs, including the updated 2023 3 Series and the redesigned 2024 5 Series.
This platform will be an updated version of the current CLAR X3 design, meaning rear-wheel drive with the option of all-wheel drive. Look for the 2.0-liter turbo-4 and 3.0-liter turbo inline-6, both with mild hybrid technology as standard. Plug-in hybrid power will also be offered, including possibly in the next X3 M.
The X3 currently offers an electric iX3 option outside the US While the iX3 uses a modified version of the CLAR platform, the next iX3, which we will see in the US, is expected to use the BMW Group’s Neue Klasse dedicated EV platform which will give birth to its first model in 2025. The first model is expected to be the electric version of the next 3-Series.
Production of the redesigned X3 should be handled at the BMW Group plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where the current X3 is built. Any Neue Klasse-based electric versions will likely be built at factories in Europe, such as the plant under construction in Debrecen, Hungary, which will build the first Neue Klasse models.
The X3 is a vehicle BMW doesn’t want to mess with. BMW in 2021 managed to sell 65,800 units in the US alone, making it the automaker’s most popular vehicle here.
