BMW 3 Series (E30)

The BMW E30 is a compact executive car which was produced by BMW from 1982 to 1993. The initial models used the 2-door sedan body style, and in following years the 4-door sedan, convertible and estate ("touring") body styles were added.The E36 replaced the E30 in 1990, however the E30 convertible remained in production until 1992 and the E30 touring remained in production until 1993.

The E30 models were powered by a range of 4-cylinder and straight-6 engines.

The BMW M3 was first introduced on the E30 platform. The E30 BMW M3 was fitted with the high-revving BMW S14 4-cylinder petrol engine which produced 175 kW (235 hp) in its final European-only iteration.

Body styles

The E30 3-series was penned by Claus Luthe in 1978, the designer of the NSU Ro 80.

It was produced as four- and two-door saloons, two-door convertible (however the M3 convertible was only offered for the European market), cabriolet by Baur, and a five-door estate (marketed as the "touring").

The BMW M3 utilised a widened and heavily redesigned variation of the two-door body style, therefore the M3 shares few body parts with other E30 models.

BMW 3 Series

The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. It is the successor to the 2-door sedan models of the BMW New Class and has been produced in six different generations.

Initially, the 3 Series was only available as a 2-door sedan, however the model range has since expanded to include a 4-door sedan, 2-door convertible, 5-door touring and 5-door hatchback body styles. In 2013, the coupe-based models started to be badged as 4 Series, therefore the model range no longer includes coupe and convertible body styles.

The 3 Series is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the BMW brand's annual total sales (excluding motorbikes). The BMW 3 Series has won numerous awards throughout its history.

Generations

BMW released its E21 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, nearly doubling BMW's worldwide auto sales figures in three years. The 3 series has also maintained BMW's racing heritage. The M version of the 3 series, M3, debuted in 1988.

BMW 3 Series (F30)

The BMW F30 is an internal corporate chassis designation for the BMW 3 series of cars. The series is the sixth generation of the BMW 3 Series range of compact executive cars. It is the successor to the E90 model and was unveiled by automaker BMW on October 14, 2011 in Munich, Germany.

The world premiere was broadcast live over the internet through Facebook. It was released as a 2012 model and has been on sale since early 2012. The F30 sedan was launched on February 11, 2012 by BMW Press. The car is also available with different body styles.

The BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics was the most widely used vehicle in the London 2012 Olympics due to BMW's official partnership. New for the US 2012 was the re-introduction of a four-cylinder petrol engine for North America the first since the 318i of the late 1990s.

Initial release

Sedan (2011-)

The vehicle was unveiled in 2012 Geneva Motor Show, followed by the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

The 320i, 318d, and 316d were added in spring 2012.

320i EfficientDynamics Edition and 316i were added in autumn of 2012.

BMW 3 Series (E46)

The BMW E46 is a compact executive car which was produced by BMW from 1998 to 2007. It was introduced in May 1998 in the sedan body style. In 1999, a coupé and touring body style became available to all markets, and the sedan was released in the United States. A convertible and hatchback body style was released in 2000, the latter only for Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The BMW E90 replaced the E46 sedans in late 2004, however the E46 coupe and convertible body styles remained in production until 2007.

The E46 was considered the performance benchmark of its class and experienced success in many markets. The record selling year for the E46 chassis was 2002, when 561,249 vehicles were sold worldwide. The main competitors during the E46's production run were the Alfa Romeo 156, Audi A4, Lexus IS/Toyota Altezza, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Saab 9-3 and the Volvo S60.

The M3 version of the E46 was powered by the BMW S54 straight-six engine. The M3 was released in 2001 and was available in coupé and convertible body styles. The transmissions available were a 6-speed manual or the 6-speed "SMG-II" sequential manual gearbox.