New generation BMW X3 teased ahead of nearing debut, will receive a PHEV variant

BMW X3 is undoubtedly one of the bestselling models from the German luxury car marque. The BMW X3 has sold 350,000 units in 2023 alone, which testifies to its popularity quotient. In fact, the luxury SUV is more popular than the automaker's quintessential 3 Series sedan. Now, the automobile giant is working on the next-generation iteration of the car, which is slated to debut in a few weeks. Ahead of that, the OEM has teased the new BMW X3 officially, in a camouflaged form though.

Internally known as G45, the new BMW X3 comes with a sleeker body underneath camouflage wrap. BMW claims to have lowered the drag co-efficiency level from 0.29 to 0.27 for the new X3 to improve its fuel efficiency. It comes with a wider track compared to the outgoing G01 generation. BMW also claims to have increased its rigidity and adopted upgraded anti-roll bars for a more comfortable ride experience.

Watch: BMW launches 2022 X3 SUV in India

The new BMW X3 gets an adaptive chassis featuring electronically controlled shock absorbers to ensure a comfortable ride experience for the occupants, while other changes include a more direct steering ratio, upgraded safety and driver assistance technology. The car manufacturer is confident about the new X3 securing a high score at the Euro NCAP crash test.

Also, another interesting element of the overall design philosophy of the next-generation BMW X3 is that it would come with a simplified dashboard layout and there would be some conventional buttons as well. While most of the functions would be accessible through the touchscreen infotainment system, there would be some dedicated conventional physical buttons as well meant for basic functions.

The images revealed show camouflaged prototypes of the plug-in hybrid and M Performance derivatives of the new generation BMW X3. The plug-in hybrid variant is likely to come with a bigger battery pack promising a significant range on pure electric mode. On the other hand, the high-performance model would come featuring a quad exhaust system. IT would likely move away from the M40i nomenclature and replace it with M50, sans the ‘i’ at the end. It could be the first BMW petrol car to drop the ‘i’, which is going to be a part of the brand's new nomenclature strategy.