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Wikipedia: BMW 3 Series
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's BMW 3 Series page on 23 February 2016, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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.
E21, First generation, 1975–1981
The first generation was a two-door saloon model only. A factory authorised cabrio version was also built by Baur.
The cockpit design of the E21 marked the introduction of a new design concept for BMW, with the center console angled towards the driver. This feature has become part of BMW’s interior design philosophy for many years. As a sign of passive safety, all edges and control elements within the interior were rounded off and padded.
Initially, all models used the BMW M10 four-cylinder engine. In 1977, the BMW M20 six-cylinder engine was added to the lineup.
E30, Second generation, 1982–1990
The E30 was sold from 1982 through 1991 in coupé form, 1983 through 1991 in saloon form, and through 1993 in convertible form. Four-cylinder and six-cylinder petrol engines were used, with a six-cylinder diesel added in 1985. In 1986, the first all-wheel drive 3-series was produced, called the 325iX. The E30's introductory price was nearly double that of the E21 just seven years earlier.
Initially released as a two-door coupé, the four-door saloon body style was added to the 3-series lineup in September 1983. In 1986, the station wagon ("touring") body style became available.
The first BMW M3 was the E30 M3 coupé, which was released in 1987 and uses the S14 four-cylinder engine. A factory authorised cabrio version was also built by Baur.
E36, Third generation, 1991–1998
The E36 was produced from 1991 - 1998. It was available with four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines, with the twin cam BMW M50 six-cylinder replacing the single-cam engine used in the E30. Rear suspension was the "Z-axle" multilink suspension, as used in the Z1.
Initial sales were the four-door saloon, with the coupé version added in 1991 and the cabriolet version in 1992. Finally, the station wagon ("touring") version was produced from 1994.
In 1993, VANOS variable valve timing was introduced on the DOHC I6 (inline 6-cylinder) engines. In 1996, the M50 six-cylinder engine was replaced by the M52 six-cylinder engine, and maximum displacement was increased from 2.5 litres to 2.8 litres.
The E36 M3 uses the S50 (or S52 in North America) six-cylinder engine and was the first M3 available as a four-door saloon.
Unlike the E30, which never made the list, for every year of its production, the E36 was named in Car and Driver Magazine's "10 Best Cars" list (see Car and Driver Ten Best)..
E46, Fourth generation, 1998–2006
The E46 was introduced in 1998 as a 1999 model, in saloon version only. In 1999, the station wagon ("touring") and coupé models were added. The convertible and M3 were released in 2000. The E46 was available with four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines. All-wheel drive was introduced as an option in 2001 (for left hand drive markets only).
In 2000, the M54 six-cylinder engine replaced the M52 and maximum displacement increased from 2.8 litres to 3.0 litres.
Also in 2000, the E46 M3 coupé was released. It uses the S54 six-cylinder engine and the option of an automated clutch SMG gearbox. In 2002, the convertible M3 became available.
The highest selling year for the E46 was 2002, when 561,249 vehicles were sold worldwide. For every year of its production, the E46 was named in Car and Driver Magazine's "10 Best Cars" list (see Car and Driver Ten Best).
E90, Fifth generation, 2005–2013
The fifth generation 3 Series debuted as a sedan (E90) and convertible (E91) in March 2005, while the coupé (E92) and a retractable hard-top convertible (E93) went on sale in August 2006 as 2007 models. The coupé/cabriolet body was now its own design and no longer derived from the saloon/touring (unlike its predecessors). The retractable hard-top convertible, meanwhile, was a first for the 3 Series.
The E90 was available with four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines, and the E92 M3 used a V8 engine. The first turbocharged petrol 3-series was the E92 335i, which uses the BMW N54 straight-six. The N52 naturally aspirated inline-six engine features a lightweight magnesium/aluminum construction, electric water pump, and Valvetronic variable valve lift. In 2007, a record total of more than 550,000 vehicles were sold and it was the seventh most popular car in the United Kingdom.
The 335i models using the N54 3.0 Liter twin-turbo engine notably had issues in the US with the high pressure fuel pump (HPFP), which many owners had to replace due to failure. BMW eventually issued a recall on the HPFP for replacement.
F30, Sixth generation, 2012–
The F30 debuted on 14 October 2011 in Munich and went on sale in February 2012. The first model to be produced was the saloon (F30), which was followed by the Touring (F31) in May 2012 and Gran Turismo (F34) in June 2013, a smaller variant of the 5 Series GT hatchback. 3 Series convertible and coupé models were no longer available, as they have been included in the 4 Series lineup.
A large portion of the six-cylinder petrol engine selection of previous generation models have been replaced by turbocharged four-cylinder engines, with only the highest model designation being equipped with an inline-six powertrain. The F30 is also the first model of the 3 Series to be available as hybrid, sold as ActiveHybrid 3, which was introduced in 2012.
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| 7 October 2020 publication date | Safety Compliance Testing For FMVSS 216a “Roof Crush Resistance” 2020 BMW 3-Series MGA Research Corporation for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |  PDF - 7.6MB - 186 pages |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 4 November 2012 | Top Cars For 2012 | Steven Pierce |
| 8 February 2013 | BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo - specs, prices and photos  | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 15 May 2013 | How a BMW engineer created the 3-Series Touring in his own garage  | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 2 August 2013 | Spotted - BMW 3-series pick-up | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 3 February 2014 | History of the BMW 3 Series | John Stone |
| 19 January 2016 | Velodyne LiDAR Sensor Guides the Way, As Baidu's Self-Driving Car Hits the Road in Beijing | Velodyne |
