In 2024, BMW will introduce the X3, one of the company’s best-selling crossovers. This summer saw the release of the facelifted version and the BMW X4 Sports Active Coupe. The updated BMW X3 will reportedly be produced under the codename G45 and is expected to begin shipping in the summer of 2024, according to insiders. Of course, the timing is fascinating for a lot of reasons as well.
BMW first intends to introduce a completely new architecture in 2025. The modular CLAR architecture will be replaced by the Neue Klasse, which will be utilized by electric BMW vehicles. As a result, the new X3 is currently in a cycle before to switching to the new architecture. Therefore, it is unknown how BMW will handle this. There are a few possibilities, in our judgment—the brand has not yet made an official statement to that effect.
BMW might keep using the adaptable (and possibly enhanced) CLAR architecture, which won’t likely be phased out in 2025, to create the following-generation G45 X3. BMW has frequently stated that a full transition to electrification won’t happen until late in the decade and that many markets will still be home to a sizable number of BMW models powered by traditional engines. However, BMW will also require a replacement for the present BMW iX3. The Bavarians need a strong competitor since the premium middle class category for electric crossovers is crucial for most automakers.
That brings up the following point. BMW might easily take advantage of the new and more EV-friendly, or EV-first platform to produce a separate iX3 electric product since a new class of vehicles is rumored to feature the NKxx chassis designation after 2025. This might be a fantastic option for the brand. The popular BMW X3 will still be available with conventional powertrains, but a new iX3 with a slightly different look and improved packaging will satisfy the market for electric vehicles.
Additionally, it’s possible that BMW may use the same CLAR platform to create the next-generation iX3 in order to streamline production schedules and maintain compatibility with the present product line. However, that implies that an X3 electric, constructed entirely of electric components, won’t be available until after 2030, which seems a little too late in the quickly evolving automotive industry.
One thing is certain: BMW consumers will continue to be able to enjoy the popular X3 with a range of drivetrains, from petrol and diesel to plug-in hybrids and all-electric. This is true regardless of the decision made by the BMW executives, which was probably already made by this point.
In This Article...
Next-Generation BMW X3 Renderings Gallery
The images show a new grille up front, which is surrounded by shorter headlights and sits underneath a new hood. Below all of that is a new front bumper with a much more aggressive shape than the existing face. A redesigned rear bumper and thinner taillights are present on the back.
The crossover’s size is one thing that the renderings are unable to depict. The spy photos gave the impression that the new X3 might be bigger than the present model, but we’ll need to measure it to be sure. The interior, which our spy photographers were unable to picture, is another area that is still a mystery. However, we anticipate BMW to install its most recent iDrive 8 infotainment system and its dash-spanning screen, similar to what is provided in the new iX.
We don’t anticipate BMW to show this new X3 until at least next year, so it’s way too soon to know about the powertrains. In addition to the all-electric iX3, BMW is anticipated to offer a variety of gasoline, diesel, and electrified engines. Since spy photos showed the crossover with four exhaust points sticking from the back, we know BMW will offer an M40i variant.
We don’t think the next-generation model will make its debut before BMW updates the X3 for the 2022 model year. Before a presentation, it might take more than a year, and BMW might even delay the introduction until early 2024. The redesigned X3 might not arrive in US dealerships until the 2025 model year.
BMW X3 spy images: first appearance of redesigned SUV
For the first time, a prototype of the revamped BMW X3 has been spotted. The fourth generation of the best-selling marque will be represented by the new crossover.
A mid-cycle update for 2022 was given to the existing X3, which debuted in 2017 as the 2018 model year. According to BMW history, the revamped X3 should debut in 2024 as a 2025 model. About a year following this X3, a redesign of the associated X4 should be released.
Despite the prototype’s extensive camouflage, we can tell that it will have proportions that are extremely close to those of the current generation, but slightly more rounded. Although the camouflage gear has been used to make the grille look identical to the grille on the existing X3 model, the outline of the headlamps can plainly be seen and the grille appears to be adopting a taller design.
Although we can’t see the interior, it should have a clean dash with floating screens for the infotainment center and instrument cluster, as seen in the newest BMW models, including the just-updated 2023 3-Series.
Rear-wheel drive with an all-wheel drive option will be standard on the platform, which will be an upgraded version of the CLAR design used in the present X3. Look for 2.0-liter inline-4 and 3.0-liter inline-6 turbocharged engines, both of which come standard with mild hybrid technology. Additionally, plug-in hybrid power will be available, possibly even in the next X3 M.
Outside of the United States, the current X3 provides an electric iX3 option. While the current iX3 is built on a modified version of the CLAR platform, the successor, which should debut in the United States in 2025, is anticipated to be built on the Neue Klasse dedicated EV platform developed by BMW Group. The upcoming 3-Series is anticipated to come in an electric variant as the first model.
The BMW Group plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where the current X3 is made, will produce the new X3. The BMW Group plant in Debrecen, Hungary, where Neue Klasse automobiles will be produced, may also produce the electrified model.
BMW won’t want to take any chances with the X3. BMW sold 75,858 units in the United States alone in 2021, making it the brand’s most well-liked car in this country.
First-Ever Images Of The Next-Generation 2025 BMW X3 Looking Like A Larger X1
[UPDATE: The story has been updated with images of a different prototype that, based on the smaller-diameter wheels and the concealed exhaust pipe, looks to be the base-spec X3. We also catch our first glance of the dashboard, which is comparable to the current BMW lineup and features a fully digital cockpit.
A disguised prototype of the SUV, which our undercover photographers captured for the first time as it was being transported, serves as proof that BMW is already working on the next-generation X3.
The prototype appears to be sporting the production body of the fourth generation of the X3, which is apparently still in the early phases of development. The new car has similar-looking headlamps and a well-known windowline to the previously unveiled 2023 BMW X1, giving it the appearance of a bigger sibling.
It’s reassuring to see that BMW’s iconic linked kidney grille doesn’t appear to be much larger than the current X3; in fact, we think it might even be a little bit smaller, at least on this early prototype. The shape is still recognizable, but it now features smoother surface, more pronounced front and rear fenders, and slightly boxier wheelarches comparable to its forerunner. A fresh set of alloy wheels with a more intricate variation of the traditional five-spoke design can also be seen.
The model’s distinctive LED taillights are concealed by what appear to be false taillights at the rear. We anticipated them to resemble the angular design of the X1 but be smaller than in the current X3. However, the quad round exhaust tailpipes and the enlarged rear spoiler give away the presence of a performance-oriented derivative. In this regard, according to our sources, the prototype shown is the M40i model, a scaled-down version of the X3 M.
We don’t know the new X3’s specs, but we assume that it will be similar to the 3-Series in terms of architecture. Similar to the existing model, the SUV is anticipated to be sold in ICE-powered, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric (iX3) varieties, albeit with cleaner and more effective powertrains. This is consistent with BMW’s approach of providing a wide range of alternatives for each model, however we anticipate this will be the final X3 to be powered by an ICE before the Bavarian carmaker switches to an all-electric lineup.
The BMW X3’s current third generation was unveiled in 2017 and underwent a facelift in 2021. This indicates that a new model could debut in 2024 at the earliest, possibly as a 2025MY, thereby completing the regular seven-year lifetime for BMW goods. Along with the performance-oriented M-branded cars, which will undoubtedly survive to the next generation with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, a coupe-style BMW X4 will probably come soon after the X3.
With every new X3 generation, BMW avoids making too many stylistic waves. This is also true of the fourth-generation model, which is anticipated in 2024.
BMW X3 has recently had a facelift, but the following generation’s prototypes have already been spotted.
According to typical BMW product life cycles, the new X3 won’t go on sale until 2024 or 2025.
What looks to be an M40i model—or whichever nameplate the top-tier M Performance vehicle will use—has been photographed by our spies.
The quad exhaust ports, which are present on the current M40i, are the giveaway.
With roughly the same silhouette as the existing vehicle and similar features, including the way the belt line bends upward at the rear doors, the next X3as design is a development of the current vehicle.
BMW has taken care not to significantly alter the popular X3as design formula throughout the years; these components have remained consistent in all three generations.
Unless our eyes (or, rather, the camouflage) deceive us, the headlights and taillights appear to be temporary prototype parts, and the next X3 looks poised to retain a typically sized grille.
There seem to be perforations below the grille, indicating that it will be a little lower than on the current vehicle.
However, it doesn’t seem to imply that the X3 will follow the 4 Series, M3 and M4, which have switched to a double-coffin grille that descends sharply.
Like the current vehicle, we anticipate the X3 will continue to offer a wide range of powertrain options.
A variety of turbocharged four-, six-, or eight-cylinder gasoline or diesel engines, including the sporty twin-turbo inline six featured in the X3 M, as well as a plug-in hybrid and an electric model, are available for the contemporary X3 (the iX3).
It also shares a tight relationship with the popular X3’s sportier X4 coupé SUV model.
The second-generation Mercedes-Benz GLC, which was recently unveiled, will compete against the next X3 and X4.
While Volvo is anticipated to replace its XC60 in 2024, a new Audi Q5 has also been spotted and may debut in 2023.
The X3 had a makeover earlier this year that offered freshened styling inside and out, albeit it hasn’t yet received the BMW Curved Display that is being pushed out across the range. It is now the best-selling vehicle in its segment in Australia.
In contrast, Volvo sold 1707 XC60s, Audi sold 1494 Q5, while Mercedes-Benz sold 1721 GLC wagons and 792 GLC coupes.
The Lexus NX (1461) and Porsche Macan are two other popular models in this market (1317).
Australian automotive journalist William Stopford works out of Brisbane. William is a recent graduate in business and journalism from the Queensland University of Technology. He enjoys traveling, has lived briefly in the US, and is particularly interested in the US auto sector.