BMW 3 Series

The BMW 3 Series replaced the 02 Series compact sport sedan in 1975 and has become the defining product of the BMW brand — the benchmark compact sport sedan against which the segment has measured itself for seven generations. The line debuted with the E21 (1975-1983) and progressed through E30, E36, E46, E90, F30 and G20 chassis codes.

The 3 Series has anchored BMW's rear-wheel-drive, inline-six engineering identity for decades, though four-cylinder variants and all-wheel-drive xDrive options have been available throughout most of its history. Body variants include sedan, coupe (split off as the 4 Series after 2014), Touring estate, Compact (E36 and E46), convertible (also separated to the 4 Series) and the long-wheelbase Li sedan sold primarily in China. The M3 high-performance variant has run continuously since the E30 generation. The current G20 entered production in 2018; its facelifted LCI arrived in 2022.